


Warming Paws and melting Walls

by Spacegaywritings



Series: Poly-opposites and other riots [7]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Cat Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Drinking, Emile is soft, Gen, Headaches & Migraines, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, One Night Stands, Other, abandoned animal, remy is a bitch, remy is a hoeeee, sheltering, virgil uses they them and slays, work relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:53:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25493416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacegaywritings/pseuds/Spacegaywritings
Summary: Remy does not know how to be a decent human being and he usually is too impulsive to interact with others in meaningful ways. However, he loves animals and his heart beats for them. When he meets the little street kitten Virgil, he takes them in... maybe he does have a shot at talking to his soft crush Emile if he learned how to care for another person?
Relationships: Dr. Emile Picani/Sleep | Remy Sanders
Series: Poly-opposites and other riots [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579429
Comments: 20
Kudos: 53





	1. One Man's Trash is another Man's... Cat?

**Author's Note:**

> Tags: mentions of the vet, abandoned cat, mentions of food, cuddles, snuggles, remy being a lil shit, insults kinda, playful teasing, mentions of gore (in metaphors) and head injuries and acid, migraines, headache, chronic pain, mentions of pain, mentions of death (all for shits n giggles bc Remy is a salty hoe), nobody gets hurt, Remy is just a lil shit, mentions of human waste (body waste).
> 
> i do not think there is any more to be applied. If you need me to add anything, please contact me here or on my tumblr (spacegayparty, spacegaywritings)

The day was crisp, it was cold outside and the air smelled of ice. If winter had a certain scent, it was this. Akin to smelling the wetness of nearby ground after and before rain, it smelled of frozen ground and red noses.  
  
Lucky for Remy, it was not too deep into winter just yet so he could wear a dark sweatshirt, thin yet long-sleeved at last and not freeze his nipples off. His signature black leather jacket (of course faux leather, since it was more flexible and comfortable to him) covered his shoulders and engulfed him with a certain warmth. It was a lid over the cooking pot of his natural body temperature.  
Other than that, the purple strands in his hair held the frame of dark glasses - sun glasses, to be more specific. It did not warm him, specifically, but it shielded him from the mean sun rays.

Was there sun? Not really.  
  
She was in the process of lowering itself, her descending figure spilling the light of life over the horizon and bathing the world in warm streams of her last cranberry streams. Her usually yellow to intensely golden illumination danced over his hands. He held a drink in one of these hard plastic cups with permanent drinking straws belonging to it. It was about as cool as the world around him, edging on icy. This was not too surprising, judging from the actual chunks of ice in his drink.

The shades of dark treasures mixed into the scarlet juice of the fading sun. The lights coated the world in new creation, the start of something that has not been there before, but few people stopped to mind the graceful kisses of light onto their skins and the little waves of natural beauty peeking into their vision.  
  
Remy was not particularly one to appreciate the sun either. The blessed souls who were to adore and value the beauty around them were more mindful than the exhausted worker. He had just exited his job and wanted his weekend to start. In addition to that, he was motivated by the sun causing him pain. Her rays practically chased him off the streets. His tired eyes avoided the reddish gleams coming from the side. While he enjoyed the warm shine tanning his hands for a short moment, it hurt a bit too much for his liking. Instead, he thought himself as a clever person. He turned his back on the last bit of natural light and took a turn since he was at the end of the street, luckily.  
  
He walked on, his jeans doing little to keep him warm. His breath was forming wet clouds of fog before his face. Kids would pretend to be smoking or have dragon breath when they stepped outside and got to breathe the cool air of late December afternoons. Remy just wearily breathed to stay alive as he walked back home.  
His workday had just ended and he had stopped at a nearby coffee place - his favourite café! It was in walking distance from his work place and his home - before heading home. It was a usual thing to do when he slid into a weekend and decided that his migraines were not as bad as to give him any reason to avoid caffeine and extreme temperatures. When enjoying iced drinks, he should not exactly be suffering from pain already but neither should he consume scalding beverages.   
Remy’s lips caught the pink glitter straw of his drink and once he had drawn the plastic cylinder close enough to suck it into his mouth, he did exactly that in order to treat his flaring taste buds with the deliciously sugary treat. Sweetness and the heavy taste of roasted coffee beans skimmed over his tongue. He was left with the idea of this syrup like treat of a drink in his mouth. The caffeine and low temperature seemed to immediately drive up into his head.  
  
Being an experienced fan of iced drinks, he knew better than to immediately inhale the whole drink despite the great taste that brought a wide smile to his usually rather stoic or even condescending lips. If he was to go too fast, his brain would hurt. Since he was prone to chronic pain, there was no need to trigger the whole procedure of nausea and throbbing, continuous agony once more.  
  
He drew in a deep breath and blinked at the way before him.  
Grey pavement, some leafless trees framed the pavement and marked the difference between road for cars and the one for walking, much like a fence would. Except this fence had holes all over so people could run from one side to the other.  
Before his heavy, black boots, little heaps of brown and dry leaves could be seen and the increasing level of winds swept around his thickly protected feet. As the strong breeze pushed past his form with blind ignorance, they pulled up the leaves in a mysterious dance. Heaps rose into dresses of imaginary fairy friends and took a few steps together with the crushing winds before an obstacle hit them and let their brief union fall apart. The leaf-clad figure would implode, their parts scattering all over the similarly colourless ground until the wind would pick up again and repeat the process tragically.  
  
The worker walked on, aiming to find his way back home with the last rays of fire red sun tickling his neck as he strove away from the source of heat. It seemed that the further he walked, the darker it got. The colder it got, the more grey there was around him.  
Whether his environment received the last kisses of precious life when the sun bid them farewell was a mystery. Maybe the sun was trying to drag the last bits of life from the surroundings in order to come back with more energy once she had processed all the stolen goods.  
  
Remy’s steps leaving a dull sound with every step he left on the stone ground beneath his coal boots.  
All he heard was the distant whirls of air running like the waves, coming close and suddenly fading and retreating in slow, shameful movements with the intention to have a more forceful go at the the leaf fronts next time.  
He pushed his sunglasses away, letting the greying world around him make an impression on his unfiltered vision for the first time ever since he had started work. His weak orbs wearily eyed the way before him and he stopped for a moment to blink and assess the situation.

Was it dark enough? He did not dare looking up into the awfully white-haired sky of seamless cloud patches.  
  
He blinked at the world and let his free hand rub his eyes with a little bit of mental praise for the effort and risk they were fearfully taking on for his own pleasure and curiosity.  
His greyish-blue orbs roamed over the world around him and he sighed in relief. Next to him was a small alley, shady and narrow but a great short-cut to get to the other side and buy his eyes a bit more time to get used to everything until the sun had fully given up on emanating lights like a rich kid who had it all but actually felt nothing and needed to brag with the wealth of possession and energy.  
  
Yeah, why not. Looked dirty but everything on this ground was full of spit and long forgotten piss anyway. Just like in the life of a rich kid, Remy thought to himself.  
  
With a shrug, he pushed into the alley and took another big sip of his dark beverage with just enough undertones of sweet and soft tastes gracing and rewarding his whole mouth. He squinted for a moment and stepped forward but immediately stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a sound dive into his mind.  
  
“Meow”  
  
Remy retreated the straw from his lips and looked around. It took him a while until he found the little bundle of fur next to his feet. At first, he was not sure whether there really was anything more than a blob of darkness, perhaps just shadows from the sun setting dusk. But what he could see was a pair of different-coloured eyes staring up at him, accompanied by another meow.  
  
A cat, actually, a very small little kitten with fur as dark as his thick boots was curled up next to him, making sounds so miserable it even reached Remy’s cold heart. That had to say something since it was about as icy as the world around him or the drink in his hand.

He did not know whether he would have done that at any other moment, under any other circumstances other than these.. all he knew was that he knelt down to the kitten that immediately shrieked in surprise and moved away from him. The movement seemed like a graceful curl, something he could not quite describe or follow. The darkness of shadows served as perfect environment for the kitty cat to use its fur as camouflage suit like a sneaky chameleon.  
  
“Hey kitty. You lost?”  
  
Emerald and azure orbs stared back at him, merely visible due to the sheer size of the small cat’s irises in the darkness.  
It was comical to him that the cat had the most globe-shaped eyes he had ever seen. Something drew him to the kitty. It was hard to describe but he lowered himself and his hand set the drink down next to the cat. It did not move but the void sniffed at the cup and stub its damp nose against the cold surface of the container. After that, it flinched away as if shocked by the touch. In a heartbeat, it crawled away from the strong smell of cold-ridden, milked coffee beans.  
  
“Alright, I did not wanna share anyway, you queen”, he commented with a sour expression painting his face.  
The man gently drew his now free hand over to the kitten. It hissed at first and he nearly retreated but he decided not to. Instead, he let his hand rest on the ground for the little animal to examine it. More sniffing occurred, followed by the cat’s tracks somewhat stirring. A paw landed in his palm and Remy could feel something in him melt.  
  
The cat patted his palm a few times as if to test the ground and let out another meow. This time, the kitten stared at him and stood up more properly. It still seemed a little ducked but it was not exactly in the same crawling position as when it merged into one with the shadows of high buildings. The shades were thrown out by buildings in a way, they were high enough to be protecting the animal and keeping an eye over it like a worried parent would watch over a toddler.  
In reality, the cat was alone in a dirty, cold alley.  
  
“You may be a salty bitch but you are still cute”, Remy mused softly. He was talking to himself, yet in a way, he was still addressing the cat.

Somehow he could not bring himself to just move on. Something told him that the cat did not exactly want him to go either.  
  
“Well, sucks that I don’t have any food for you at the moment, right? I bet you would like some - hell, I’d like to feed you, little queen. You would probably be super cute when eating out of my hand, huh..”  
  
Talking about that.. why not? For just a moment, Remy considered taking the animal with him - ... but was that even okay to do?  
  
“Are you out here all alone, little kitty? You seem too small to be outside or without someone else like a friend or, you know.. a mom?”  
  
The man blinked at the kitten who returned his complex questions with simple kitty sounds that seemed to drive straight into Remy’s heart, once more. It moved him, touched places within him and let his facial expression rest into a more relaxed one. T  
here was nothing stoic about a melting man.  
  
“So you are a stray kitty cat, huh? Sucks to be you, honey. You look hungry.”  
  
Remy looked over the little blob of raven.  
It looked way too fragile and tiny for a tough stray cat. He did not know much about the streets but he was sure that the weather was not exactly in favour of a kitten surviving all on its own. He.. he should take it in, should he not?  
  
The man was still in deliberation as the cat curled up before him.  
The wind picked up and weaved through Remy’s hair that curled around his sunglasses in strands almost like a flower crown of purple. The icy breeze brushed over him and the kitten, the scarce fur being ruffled by the natural force and the kitten let out a pathetic, nearly pleasing sound as it curled up further.  
Was it that cold?  
  
“Come here, kitten.”  
  
Remy cooed softly, his words swaying through the air and charming the cat enough to look back up to him. There was a warmth he was offering when the world around them was cold and cruel. The cat was crouching a bit by now - once again, no surprise. But at least it did not try to put any more distance between it and Remy.  
  
He gestured a stop sign.  
“Kitten, wait”, he demanded and carefully shrugged off his leather jacket. At least it was a bit too big for him to be a comfortable fit. Since he had started working out more in the gym, his clothes fit better. It was not a size too big or anything, it was just cozy and allowed him to have proper movement space. As clothing should provide.  
Without too much movement, the kitten hissed already at him. He changed his position and shifted in order to get his jacket loose. The young cat ducked, staring at all his body. Every movement of his muscle was noted by a flinch of the cat’s face or a little jump of its ears.  
  
His sweatshirt underneath was thin and tightly hugging his body shape. It was not enough of a protection against the icy cold. Still, he set the jacket down .. oh man, his fucking favourite jacket on the shitty, piss-ground in a trashy alley in the dark.  
  
Why did he do that again?  
  
He heard a meow. His lips immediately broadened into a smile and he patted the inside of his jacket that was facing upwards to the grey, whitish sky.  
  
“Come here, kitty cat, I will keep you warm. A queen like you should not be outside without the proper fur~”  
  
Whether the black bundle of fragility understood the man or not, it carefully pawed at the new material and found it to be much warmer than the icy ground around them. Quickly, it took the hint and moved over onto the warm blackness that matched its own fur so well. Its inner chameleon seemed to sniff safety in an environment where it could disappear by simply merging into the background. The kitten curled up on the dark hole beneath it and meowed in delight.  
  
It .. it started doing this funny vibrating sound. It reminded Remy of vibrations from a text message just a little more organic and vocal rather than a muffled sound.   
It was clear and direct.  
It went right through his heart.  
  
“You like that, huh? Come here, little queen”  
  
He carefully picked up the bundle and the kitten shot up, panic in the bi-coloured eyes. It nearly jumped out of his grip but was soothed when he carefully folded the jacket around the kitten. Slowly, silently, while maintaining a lethargic rhythm, he mumbled little encouragements as he moved to cradle the animal in his arms and rise to his feet. Again, the cat did not take it too well and rose once more, paws pressing against his collar bone. It looked back at where it used to stand with longing in their paws.

Maybe the cold was better than a stranger’s warmth?  
  
Remy was standing by now, a bundle of possibly dirty street cat all wrapped up in his favourite and near-holy jacket. It was his personal relic but he was willing to share it with a freezing fella just for the sake of making that miserable little kitten a little bit warmer. After all, it was all alone and forgotten but had no protection or any other things to help itself out.  
  
His hand gently stroked over the back of the kitten.

“There there, little queen. Come on, I will get you into the warmth and get you some food.”  
  
As he started walking, he felt the first flakes of snow settle onto the ground around them. Little ice pieces landed on the curious kitten which tried to paw at the cool sensation before giving up and deciding that Remy’s chest was warmer to rest against.

By the time the worker had forgotten about the idea of regretting the abandonment of his weekly oh so icy treat, he was home and instead took his new melting treat into his apartment. He could not care less about his drink right now. All he thought about was whether he had enough food at home that was suitable for a kitten to eat.

Time to go through his cupboards and shelves and scavenge the internet for important information on kittens.

He got inside.  
  
This had been much more tiring than expected but at least he had the kitten in safety now.  
He settled on the couch and let the kitten down, carefully leaving it to to get out of the leather jacket by itself if needed - it more than willingly did. It dragged the leather jacket along and hid in a pile of pillows that sheltered the cat mostly. Back to being a flag of camouflage, now in his home. The kitten systematically pushed the jacket down to make some sort of bed out of it, if Remy had to guess. It looked like it was giving a massage to his clothing by pushing its paws against the fabric until it stayed down, flaccid and obedient as the cat had planned.  
  
After this, the little queen proceeded to defiantly lay down on it, paws crossed and face focusing on Remy. He could nearly hear the hiss coming from it but the muzzle stayed shut.  
Meanwhile, the human was giving the animal some space and looked up what the fuck cats were able to eat and opened another tab to look up vets. He already got a number within seconds.  
  
“Queen, you are a sassy little cat but do me and yourself a favour and stay put. I will call a doctor and see whether I can give you food or not. Stay.”

He gave it a look. The cat stared back and eventually meowed before breaking eye contact with the man.   
Well, that sure meant the kitten was okay with it and understood, right? Surely. Cats were super smart after all. If dogs could learn all those funny tricks then cats sure as fuck would be able to do that.  
  
Remy left the room and went to the kitchen as he got on a phone call. He did not have any bit of cat food and he was somewhat concerned over what would happen if the cat was to be left alone at his place all of a sudden. It was better to take the cat with him or feed it something he already kept around.  
  
Cats were bitches, right?  
Like, not literally, obviously but still in the sense like humans were bitches, every now and then. Less in the sense of a female dog but more in the sense of being an arrogant and salty diva.  
  
Yeah, maybe the cat was a queen because it was very much like some salty, self-righteous bitch. Who knew.  
Remy kinda liked it. He was already thriving on the potential bitch vibes he got from it.

Still, from all the internet had told him, there was only super cute kitty cats that made people swoon and got you into someone’s pants or the kinda cats that did all sorts of odd things, but in a weirdly endearing way. And then.. then there were the uncaring and arrogant shits that only liked you when they wanted you and other than that used you as slave for food and drinks and that was it.  
  
Well, the crazy fighter cats were also a thing but it seemed like such a thing from the last decade, he could not even take it seriously anymore.   
Aggressive cats were not a thing, right? So, out of fashion.  
  
Remy got to the kitchen and washed his hand. It was kinda common knowledge but he had also read that he should probably do that.  
Yeah, probably. The internet was always right.  
  
While he got a vet on, the cat got out of the pillow mess. Head ducked and tail low, the kitten checked the area before rushing out of its hiding spot and into one of the rooms It was warm inside, it was so so much warmer than outside. The kitten took the jacket along as it found a little box in some room and settled in the comfortably tight space. It was basically a big comfortable cave. Well, it was kitty-sized and just perfect.

Soon, the call was over and all the necessary social bullshit was done with. When Remy returned to the living room, he only found the kitten to be lost when he returned to a jacket missing. Hey, that was his favourite!  
Fucking cat. Maybe this one really was a bitchy kitten. Maybe they were real, like, for real!  
  
“Hey, kitty? Kitty, you got my jacket. And you fucked off. I gave you one job, I swear, darling”  
  
No answer.  
Well, what the fuck did he expect from the cat?  
  
“Hey Queen, where are you at?”  
  
No reply.   
He groaned.  
  
They had a fucking appointment.  
Nothing went right that day, did it? He was totally supposed to take a nap and then get ready to party and not shelter a cat. What the fuck was this shit even?   
  
When thinking about the shelter he had to provide, a thought crossed his mind.  
...Snacks!

The cat must have been fucking hungry so maybe he could get the kitty to cooperate with him and get into a box or something.. or back into the jacket. Maybe the jacket was with the cat.  
Yeah, that would help in locating the little bitch. A fucking black cat and a jacket just as dark in the surroundings of his home which was essentially kept dark so the light would not trigger his photo-sensitivity and fuck him into worse pain than usual.  
Fucking fantastic.  
  
He brushed a hand through his hair, sighing in exasperation and carefully took hold of the sunglasses he had kept on top of his head.  
After some time, it hurt him.  
Fuck, his body was such an annoying pussy sometimes. Wearing it on his nose was fine but keeping it on his head was totally much pressure.  
  
“Kitty cat?”  
  
Remus carefully approached the couch, looking over the pillows and turning some over. Slowly, gently. Stray cats were often feral or like,.. shy or scared or something. At least, that was what the vet and the internet had said.  
Somehow he felt trapped with this cat and if he did not befriend it, then he would be in trouble.  
So, for appealing the cat, he needed to find it and somehow give it some food and coax it into tagging along to the vet.  
  
“Where are you, darling? Come on, do not challenge a bitch. No matter how much of a queen you are, you don’t wanna fuck with me, alright? Come on, you are not like that, right? Please don’t be a little shit, I totally don’t have the nerve for this shit, honey.”  
  
He carefully lowered himself onto the floor and checked what was underneath the couch.  
Nothing.  
Ugh, it just hurt to do all this moving and bending. He could feel his head become heavier with every move.  
  
“Cat, come on. I don’t have time for it. You are not that special, just come out and let me get you to a medic - vet. Whatever! Let me get you to someone who can handle you.”  
  
He kept walking, eyes looking out for a movement or just anything. Maybe just the hetero-chromatic eyes that would stare back at him with a certain gleam, a certain wetness yet miracle in these orbs. Cats kinda were magical. They seemed to be at least good at disappearing for no reason, all random and without trace. That was some kind of magic, too.  
  
“Oh kitty cat? Come on, stop being like this. I am nice, I will give you food and pay for your bills like some hot-ass sugar daddy. I know doctors suck, but please don’t hide.”  
  
Still nothing.  
  
“Do you even understand what I am saying? ‘Cuz, like, you are pretty unresponsive despite the honey I am giving ya, hear me, darling?”  
  
He looked over the bookshelves and the little reading corner he had made himself. It was accessible when exiting the living-room. It barely counted as a room, it was just a dark pit of warmth and books and it smelled great. It was an oriel, not a real room. But whatever. It did not matter. Architecture was not up his sleeve.  
  
“Kitten? You in here? Come on, queen. Don’t be like that. I wanna nap. I got food, don’t you want some fucking food?”  
  
Silence.  
Full stop.  
  
A meow.  
  
His heart was beating again.  
Hope!  
  
“Queen? Where you at?”  
  
The kitten meowed but there was still no movement.  
The sounds seemed to come from lower than where he was right now. Time to see whether the cat snuck into the bookshelves or behind them. He kept the lowest spaces empty until the books would just be too much and take up the space anyway.  
  
“Queen, come on?”  
  
Another sound - not quite a meow but uh.. something like that. More a ‘mrow’ or something of that sort.   
Good hell, Remy did not even know anymore.  
He knelt down, carefully examining the bookshelves. The lower spaces were all empty, nothing to look at.  
  
“ugh.. caaaat~”, he dragged out.  
  
The man let himself drop fully, his body just laying there much like the corpse in the middle of a recent crime scene.

“Where are you?”

He felt shot, so shot already and it was such a young evening, still. He had a full weekend ahead of him and his head was hurting so much. His frontal lobe felt heavy, close to just dissolving into nothingness with acid eating it up right in his head and it was pushing against his head.

Remy let out a groan, his eyes slipping shut.   
Everything was too much.

He was close to just giving up when he could feel a damp spot press against his temples.  
The man simply whined in response. He sighed in took his last bit of effort into opening his mouth to speak, then his eyes to see.  
  
“This better be death, I swear to fucking hell.”  
  
Nope, fucking hell no.   
It was the cat.   
Of course it was.  
  
“Queen you are killing me. Already. Is that why people with pets are old? Because they want to die and know pets will do the trick if kids can’t? “  
  
“Meow”  
  
The kitten sniffed his face and Remy remained on the floor, opening his eyes more, so he could stare back at the kitten.  
  
“You totally need to be washed and taken to the vet, kitty cat. Come on, let us go.”  
  
He carefully got up, groaning under his breath and holding his head.  
  
“Come here, darling”, he mumbled.  
He crossed his legs and patted his lap. The kitten padded over to the book box it had stayed in. It was the box in which his latest shipping of second-hand books had arrived in. It smelled old and great, like paper and miracles, stories untold and feelings unwritten yet full of sparks of imagination and so many possibilities.  
It smelled of magic.  
  
It gently patted the jacket and dragged it over.  
Remy looked over at the cat, eyes half-lidded. It felt so heavy.  
The little stray kitten stopped pulling the piece of clothing when arriving at Remy’s leg and patted his knee.  
The man giggled.  
  
“Do you really think I am gonna share that with you, honey?”  
  
The cat sat down and looked at him, patting his knee again. Remy gently reached out for the kitten and pulled it into his lap. The cat’s limbs went into every direction, flailing wildly until it was settled on his thighs.  
  
“Maybe you are not so bad. You got totally good taste.”

He chuckled to himself but quieted down right after, gently brushing through the fur of the obsidian kitty on his lap.

“You found me, got the jacket. You are really going for it, gurl, huh?”  
  
The kitten purred, literally vibrating under his touch and pushing into the soft affection. Maybe that kitten was not so stray after all. It seemed used to human touch after all. But it was not used enough to the cuddles. Otherwise it would not cherish them like this.  
  
“What are you actually, little void? Male, female, androgynous, a demon? Immortal? Deity of chaos? Did you come to rob my house? ‘Cuz you won’t find lotsa shit here, honey.”

The cat looked back at him.  
He stopped stroking its back and looked at the little black hole before him.

“I am listeeening, hon~”  
  
The cat tugged at his hand and patted it, leading him over to its head again and pushing its little skull against the palm of his head.  
The fur seemed even softer around there.  
  
“Hey kitty cat, why are you so trusting? Shouldn’t you like, try to eat me and slit my wrists and all those wonderful things you void cats do?”  
The cat had picked up purring again, the soft vibrations gently travelling through Remy’s skin as he carefully scritched its neck.  
  
“You know, I have know idea who or what you are but you are my little queen now unless we know better. I have seen, like, no indicator of anyone missing you, so you are either freshly straying around or nobody misses you because you are a fucking bitch, honey.”  
  
“Mrouw!”  
  
Remy chuckled again.  
  
“Yeah, whatever you say, little horror block. Let’s get me cleaned and pumped up on pain killers and I promise you can stay in my jacket. And when we get back we see that I order, like, some chicken or whatever for you to eat. The internet said chicken is hot for cats. Just, like, not actually hot. And not with those bones. Bones are bad for little shits like you, right?”


	2. The Naming of the Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remy gets home, his day unusually long and body extremely exhausted. Still, he and the cat seem to get along a bit better as they share a bit of time bonding in their weird states.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags: mentions of the vet (+ aftermath), abandoned cat, alcohol/wine, tipsy Remy (being a soft man), food/ meat, pain killer mention, drinking, dummy logic, dummy thicc fucking Remy, Remy the cat whisperer, mentions of Kim Kardeshian.. shien..? idk man, slight mention of systemic oppression bc wow Remy is spilling the beans, name talks, cuddling, snuggling, books, mentions of vaccines, soft insults bc Remy, purposefully horrible old english.  
> Just remy lol, is this enough warning
> 
> i do not think there is any more to be applied. If you need me to add anything, please contact me here or on my tumblr (spacegayparty, spacegaywritings)

It was late when the kitty cat and Remy returned and in all honestly, the receptionist was more than exhausted and done with everything. The whole day had taken a toll on him and interacting with people under bright lights was obviously not the best for a person with photo-sensitivity and self-diagnosed bitch syndrome.  
  
His body was hurting, the pain had gotten more intense and rendered him a heavy and sleepy mess. He still needed to feed the cat. While the pain killers had done some to ease his pain, the extra activity had him feel like absolute trash, after all.  
At least, the vet had found the little queen to be healthy and taken good care of. It indicated that there were owners or strangers to take care of the kitten but there were no tattoos, no marks or anything. Whatever care the cat had received before, it seemed to be over now. Nobody was looking for the cat as far as the vet and the local pet shelter have told him.

To make sure the cat would be okay, he got scheduled appointments for vaccinations (the kitty cat already got some that day). In like, a month, he was supposed to come back. Considering the cat was about one year old, it was time to refresh vaccinations anyway, at least that is what the vet said. There was so much information smoking in his brain and it hurt him. It was extra weight putting his head down.  
  
There was no chip for the kitten.. He would set up an ad on-line to show that the cat was found. He and the vet assume the cat to have run away from home or having been left behind after the family moved. Something like that.  
Still, he could try so the cat would not really be his problem anymore. There was obviously no name tag or collar. He would have noticed, he is not that fucking dense. The vet, too.  
  
At least Remy got some answers for what the fuck this kitten should eat and could not ever eat because it could hurt.

Also, the cat was a she. Well, too fucking bad Remy settled for they/them pronouns. While he talked to the cat, he could at least practice pronouns he usually did not use much. The cat could not get offended. Totally a win-win situatuon.  
  
The coffee lover curled up on the couch, kitty cat still somewhat drowsy in his lap.To be honest, the cat felt drunk to him, so Remy did not know better but to nurse his own wine while giving the kitten some chicken he had gotten for them.  
  
“Queen, you are a really really unbelievable thing”, he started as he looked at the tiny void in his lap that was currently chewing on a last bit of chicken pieces.

He had removed all that bone stuff and washed off the meat before to make sure it was not seasoned or too greasy and such for the kitten. Totally no need to kill the poor thing when he could just be fucking careful and mind their needs and limits.

“You know, you get all hot on those funny things and you are living with me now - without paying rent - and like, you do not even give me your a name. You are, like, the most mysterious person I have ever met. Fucking rude, you little harlot.”  
  
Remy sipped a bit of his wine and placed the package on the table. Yes, he drank wine out of a package because he was a cheap person. He needed to pay off the flat he had bought because his job did not make the most money ever. At least it was enough for him having a somewhat cozy and stable life.

He carefully shifted under the warm weight of the warm fluff. Remy was so glad the vet cleaned the cat so he did not need to do that. Was that extra service? He definitely paid for this shit, not gonna lie. Well, he would get a bill eventually and then he could still get upset over that. Ultimately, it did not matter right? He had some savings and the cat would be gone soon because it was someone else’s kitty cat.

It was not even in his place to just cuddle with the kitten while watching some bitch flick. But now that he had to ditch his weekend routine for the cat, they had to suck up for it. Also, he was just in a ton of pain by now and hoping for the local wine package to just knock him out well enough. If his senses were numbed, so were his pain receptors because brain foggy when Remy drunk-y.  
  
“Listen up, kitty cat. We might need a name for you, darling”, he started and looked down at how they were licking over their muzzle and nose.

The meal was done and the cat seemed satisfied... The little tongue looked so cute, it was so so pink.

“I mean, maybe you already have a name but calling you queen all the time ..”, he trailed off and shrugged, “you know, don’t know whether you, like, deserve that title to be a name. It is something you earn and live, but you are not just some queen. Except when you are some fucking royal but who the fuck cares about that shit.”  
  
The cat looked up at him and he vaguely looked back before sticking his tongue out and gently brushing through the soft fur of the little monster of coal he sheltered.

“Yeah, right. Fuck the Queen. It is not the same as you being a queen. Anyway, it would kinda not be the same for you to be a queen and to be Queen. You know?“  
  
Remy chuckled as the kitten pushed its head against his ribcage.

“You totally get me, don’t you?”

The kitten meowed in reply and he continued to pet the little ball of softness. The little one even smelled great. Well, now.  
  
“Okay, let us give you a name that fits you. I don’t know, honey. Something fancy but also classy because it is you”, he giggled, “I don’t know but we will find something!”  
  
Remy gently picked up the little kitten and hummed as he stumbled over to the bookshelves. His wine was abandoned and the small void simply meowed in response to his actions.

“You know what, fuck that show. They all suck anyway, honey. Reality TV is just a nice background .. nice, like.. what else would people watch Kim Kardeshian for? Genuine interest? Gurl, it is all about the sounds and sights or plainly being the malicious bitch to gossip and ridicule these people.”  
  
He giggled and settled before the bookshelf, sitting there with the little queen on his arms. Was queen a title, now? Not a name but somehow some kind of pet name, huh.  
  
“You know what, kitty?”, he whispered and the cat shook their head at the sudden sounds and the wet breath Remy offered. They pushed their little head against the man’s collar bone.  
“I am that kinda bitch to do all the heavy gossiping.”  
  
He laid down and let the cat rest on his chest. His back was pressed against the dark floor in his reading corner. The curious little cloud looked around and stood up, tail curiously moving from one side to the other. Then it stayed and moved in slow-motion before returning to the other side while staying kinda between low and horizontal.

Cats were so cute.

And the cat really looked like a cloud.   
A dark one.   
Not a black sheep, a black cloud!  
  
“Storm cloouUuUuUd”, Remy sang softly and the cat turned back to him, letting out a responsive sound in reply.

They understood him! Or were at least annoyed enough to react and give him a “what the fuck” look with all the sassy cat-ness in their bi-coloured orbs.

“Aw!! You react! But that is a long way to go, still, you brooding little dust ghost.”  
  
He blew a little bit off of the cat’s head and brushed it off to make sure it was all clear. Maybe from the chicken or the couch.   
He had to cleaaaan, ew. Woooork.  
Bad cat. They really be spreading the dust around like a little ghost.   
Damn it, he only wanted to find some nicknames for the small being.  
  
“Cat, can’t you do the work for me? I mean, come on, I totally got you to the vet and you got drugged for free. That is a real favour to do for a stranger, gurl.”  
  
The cat looked back up at him.  
Oh, how could he have forgotten about that??  
  
“Bitch!”  
  
Remy exclaimed wildly and sat up, simply to fall back into the ground with a dull ‘thud’ accompanying his motions. The insides of his head seemed to be forcefully shrunk together and the tipsy man groaned in annoyance. The pain was so fuzzy and far away, it was basically a street sign on the other side of the street during a day of heavy fog.  
All he did feel was the heaviness of his head and the horrible throbbing that came right after he limply dropped into the hard wood again.  
  
“uh… Aw, I am the dumb bitch, here. Kim, save me”, he weakly slurred.  
  
Obviously, he was in about the greatest state to take care of another being, especially one that was just as drowsy as him and slowly processed his sudden movements with flinches away from him.  
When the man did not move, the curious guest nudged Remy’s nose with their own.  
Had the coffee lover seen it, he would have swooned, probably.

Well, on the other side, he slowly got himself together and carefully shifted again, this time being considerate of his own and the kitty’s needs. He was much slower, lethargic in a way, it would make Sloth itself jealous.  
Eventually, he was in position, vision still blurred with blackish spots tainting his view on the dimly lit apartment.  
  
“So- as I was saying… wait”, he started yet trailed off soon after, voice quieting down and light eyes closing.  
“uh.. yeah, I know where I left off. So, as I was, uh, saying.. Like, bitch! You are totally as tipsy as I am with all those killers in ya, big boi.”  
  
Once more, his own giggles filled the room while the cat just pushed their head against his chin. The creature somewhat vibrated a bit and it felt oddly funny to Remy. Indescribable sounds came from the little kitty cat. It did not sound like a Queen, not really. It was more like uh.. a cat. Nothing else Remy has ever heard sounded quite like that.  
  
“You uh.. you still need a name, you little void egg, you. Hihi.“  
  
Remy curled and gently cradled the black ball closer. His grip around the cat was secure yet loose. The cloud of nothingness was comfortably sunk into his arms as the man got onto his wobbly legs and moved his jelly sticks closer to the little corner of books and boxes once more.  
The kitten did have more than just great taste to hide there when they first started exploring some shit around his flat.  
  
Their flat?  
… uhh.. the doc said to look for the original owners.. oh man, he still had to do that on top of all the things he had to do. And he did not even know whether it was worth it but it was much better than just giving the cat over to some shelter.. uh.. cat thingy.. cat orphanage?  
Cat orphanage. Sounded like a totally valid word. Yes, Remy, the name was, like, totally not sanctuary. Absolutely it was not. You fucking genius.  
  
The kitten was snuggled up to Remy’s chest, acutely unaware of the change of environment that slowly came around with Remy wandering off their spot to really dive into the corner of his secret reading delights. He was back on the oriel, the space were the floor was not any dark wood anymore but instead carpeted in wine red. This was the only piece of floor in his home that had a little bit of carpet and it just started with a provisional glass door he had put there with more than just a little effort.  
Basically, this little corner was a glass globe library with the perfect sight on the snowy streets and other weather conditions throughout life. Due to architecture, he basically had a built-in bench because some oriels build a “dent” into the home which can be used as some kind of elaborate and excessively broad window sill.  
  
It was worth all the work he had put into it.  
Whenever he came in to read, it was calm and silent, it was warm but easily adjusted by opening the windows or turning on the heating (considering he did not live in the warmest region on earth at all. In fact, he lived in a more moderate climate and enjoyed the tendency towards coolish temperatures. Despite climate change, there was still snow early in the winter months).  
  
The two curled up on the floor, leaning against a beanbag. Remy was leaning against the beanbag, to be specific. The kitten was curled up on Remy, cuddling into his arms like the hazy bitch they were. The Queen could barely process anything but well, steady ground it was.  
Remy was resting on the bean bag, the cat silently meowing at the change of softness around them when the home-owner slowly turned his body for the kitten to slide against the bad with him.   
Maybe the cat liked it. Nobody could know anything because the cat was out of it and also, cats were hell-spawns who were not to be understood but worshipped only.  
  
A book was resting in Remy’s lap. When did he pull it there? He did not remember. Maybe it had just settled with him, flying over or whatnot.  
The book was one hell of a beast.   
Pages upon pages were stacked on top of one another and bound together in the obscene creation of a whole book that held knowledge, big enough to rival a human brain in size - at least when putting this knowledge onto pages in barely readable fonts and size.  
  
“Yo, cat. We need a name for ya, honey.”  
  
He let his head roll to the side and then back into position again. The void looked over at him and seemed to shrug. Maybe Remy was imagining things.  
  
“Uh.. You can’t read that for me, now, can you? Why do people even get cats, man. Like, no offence but is that not why we have human beings? So we socialise and uh .. uh like.. taaaalk and hate one another. Cuz we totaaally need that kinda interaction.”  
  
His voice let the words blend in together, the muffled sentence barely resembling different words or sounds but instead one big hum. Useless blabber, at most. Not that the pet would understand him if he was putting proper effort into talking like a sober and completely sane person.  
  
“Caaat. Caaaat, just learn reading? Give yourself a name, gurl. Independence!”  
  
Yeah, well.. This seemed not to work, in fact, it obviously resembled a fruitless endeavour instead. Much like teaching a donkey how to sow greens, the cat took up Remy’s words and ignored them skilfully. Even in his tipsy mind, he was well aware that an animal would not just magically learn reading and then read out to him. However, the wishful thinking was still in his heart… and his foggy dummy mind.  
He reverted to child-like attention spans and reasoning abilities whenever he got to drink just a bit more than a little. And honestly, the wine got a little to him, especially with this bottomless void eating, like, all of this fucking chicken.  
  
He mumbled something about sharing under his breath before he pulled the book closer and heaved it open with his weak noodle power. There was not that much energy left in his heart. He was tipsy and as soft as molten butter.  
The book groaned as it was opened, awakening the pages of knowledge from deep slumber.  
It willingly dropped the front and backside onto Remy’s lap. It spread like a good partner for the intimate deeds. The excitement of being handled and warmed by a knowledge-seeking person got to it and drove the book to reveal just the right passage for them.  
  
“Names.. Names. Kitty cat, pick a name.”  
  
“mrrrow..?”  
  
“Yeah, hoe, but like, you’re a Queen.. to me and not to others so how about you lemme pick a name, so the mortals can give you their foolish attempts of daring to raise their voice at you without spoiling your title, you void hoe.”  
  
The cat gave him a slow-motion blink of two eyes. These wonderfully coloured eyes.. How were cats allowed to just have such precious gems as eyes. Like.. did he rob some jewellery store thing.. did they have names again, he felt like they had some kinda name and he was supposed to know this and all.  
Uh, he would be clever later.  
  
“Alright. This is a name dictionary thing. Like, for when you get a baby and you need to name that little shit, so the system can discriminate against it. It gives you names, you know. You have them according to the alphabet which is a linguistic attempt at bringing order into the way we communicate and organise shit. By the way, this is totally lame because language is fucking liv- ah, uh.. alive. That’s the bitch I was looking for.”  
  
Remy suppressed a burp before he allowed himself to continue.  
  
“Can you .. can you just paw this thing?”  
  
The cat did not move. Uh.. He carefully nudged the little monster. A lazy glare was thrown his way but this is where it stopped. Such a lazy hoe. They would be the bestest of friends very soon.  
Seriously, kitten? Not even some dumbass meow sound or whatever? Wow, okay. Selfish much.

He groaned.  
Now we was getting upset with a little cat. He made it this far in his life. Instead of diving deeper into any negative feelings, he moved himself. His finger gently tapped onto the paw once more and softly stroked it before putting it onto the page.  
  
“Oh, mine own dearest liege, I has't did summon all the fucks i has't hath left to giveth and ‘t wast enow to maketh.. this miracle! Uh - thou hath moveth thy fucking paw. ”  
  
…Not even that did get the cat to as much as meow at him. At LEAST the void monster spared him a glance of annoyance for his effort. Valid, valid. At least some feedback, thundercloud. Yet, the moment was gone as soon as it came and the kitten then dropped the whole thing and looked down again.  
Some sorta ritual to close their eyes and nap away. Even the cat had better living habits than he did.  
  
“Nonononono, dun nap jus yeeeet! V-V … uh..”  
  
He had taken up the name from the book, accepting the fate of the paw and started looking into the decision of the higher spirits. He was ready to act up on whatever the heavens and skies and all that shit have decided for the cat to be named.  
  
The man squinted at the pages.  
The top of it said “V”, so he knew that this was the start for their name now. Of course the Queen would be such a diva and end up with a name as unique as starting with such a rare letter. Totally Extra :tm:.  
To be fair.. who the fuck used those letters anyway, man.. xylophone? Laaaaaaaaaaaame. Virginia, Voltron, V-.. V…  
  
“Virgil”  
  
Remy blinked.  
He blinked multiple fucking times.  
The name did NOT, unlike his mind’s stupid expectation, suddenly change into something like, uh, you know,… Jared. Some funny shit.  
  
No, it was still this name. Virgil.  
  
“Is that even a name for a cat who I declare to be gendered in the neutral only? Uh, you know.. whatever, like, it is whatever because you are a QUEEEEEENG.. Queen.. a queen. You just un-rule gendered names. They are stupid anyway, guuurl. Fuck this all.”  
  
“Queen Virgil! Now how does that make you feel, huh?”  
  
The kitten gave him another blink and finally retreated their paw.  
  
“Yeah, my little nightmare goat. We are gonna go nap all night, all day!”  
  
The man giggled again. Then he made sure to just give up and fall asleep like that, curled up on a beanie, kitty cat fur tickling him and doing nothing to facilitate his breathing. All he breathed in was ai- uh.. No.. Virgil’s fur.

Welcome to a change of life, huh?   
Or simply: “Welcome, Virgil”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! Feel free to leave comments and kudos. They warm my heart ♥


	3. Making Adjustments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emile lets Remy take Virgil to work. Negotiations ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags: Emile, Remy, cat virgil, mentions of kidnapping but no actual kidnapping, nervousness, cat treats, boxes, cute shit, snuggles, crushing on your boss, arguing with cats, remy is being salty all the time, swearing, bitch bitch remy, phone calls, mentions of work, ew social, Remy hates people but he is valid, loneliness, pining, subtle lovey lovey.
> 
> i do not think there is any to be applied. If you need me to add anything, please contact me here or on my tumblr (spacegayparty, spacegaywritings)

“No.. I can’t. You don’t get it, I cannot come for the life of me!”  
  
Remy gripped the phone in his hand tighter. His knuckles turned white. Not once in his life had he even dreamed of a scenario of this sort. No nightmare could ever reach into the depth of his personal fears like this. He was enraged, somewhat nervous. One of his hands was on the couch scratch the smooth, cool surface.  
Reality was much crueller than imagination could ever be. Real life wrote stories that nobody could come up with - history was the perfect piece of evidence. People fighting alligators and smuggling foxes or colour-coding genitals. Human society was so fucked up, people did not even realise it. The most unbelievable shit happened all the time.  
  
Right now, it was happening to him. Despite this, he tried, he really tried to get this right.  
  
“Remy, you can’t just tell me you are not coming and then not give me a reason. Is anything wrong? Do you need help?”  
  
Emile’s voice dropped from a somewhat sharp and scolding sound into the usually concerned sound. That pal was just made to care about others, weren’t they?  
Even now they were more supposed to get upset and threaten him, when they were just worried about him. Remy wanted to roll his eyes at the display of pure wholesomeness but he did not have it in him to tease them about this.  
  
“Okay, listen here. I know that is a shit thing to do. You guys are not prepared to be without me but I got some kinda emergency here, honey. I can’t handle work right now, not with them around. Or not around - Sorry, boss.”  
  
The man carefully brushed over the kitten in his lap, the shivering little thing meowing pitifully. They were wailing out the feelings Remy gritted into his teeth.  
  
“Alright, alright- wait. Wait a minute right there. What do you mean? Is anyone holding you against your will? Remy, I am concerned about you.”  
  
Remy blinked for a moment at how much the whole conversation as much as Emile’s reactions to his words were a fucked over roller coaster that went back and forth and off-track periodically but irregularly so. It was unpredictable and honestly so draining. But understandably, the pal had some worries for their employees, especially Remy since he got into big piles of sick days due to his chronic migraines and physical issues. Still, it was a little absurd to expect him to be kidnapped. He was way to sassy to stay put.  
  
“Uh, I mean, I would like to go to work but staying at home always sounds nicer than, like, being productive. Sounds like a big nappy time to me, if you are asking me, honey.”  
  
Right after saying that, Remy realised that he was still sort of talking to his boss and probably should choose his words with at least a BIT more care, as of this moment. Emile was nice but they were not some dumb idiot who would let Remy do whatever with them.  
  
“Uh, okay. Let me explain, honey. I picked up this cat and I don’t know, like, whose it is and I put up those papers and put ads on PhotoAlbum in several groups (it was a lot of work, sweetie. Would not recommend. Totally busted my weekend! So rude.). I also posted to some page that deals with missing animals of this area and all that kinda shit. I still got, like, a sweet nothing and the cat is really sad and they won’t let me go out. I am - I don’t want to leave the cat alone. You know, Virgil might all up and fuck over my flat and I have nobody to babysit them - catsit them? Whatever.”  
  
Silence engulfed their phone call for a moment.  
Remy was met with nothing but more little mewls which he quickly stilled by brushing further over their soft fur. Were cats supposed to have more dense fur than this? It felt a little thin, especially for winter coming up. Was that a black cat thing? The vet had not mentioned anything about that. Just to give the cat a stable and proper diet at, like, a scheduled time because stability. Which made sense and all but... Ugh, maybe he had to go there again or ask the internet or just get a book.  
  
Emile cleared his throat after a while.  
The doctor really did know how to get some attention. For some unknown reason, it felt like one of the hottest things to Remy how the man could just draw the attention back to him with the most subtle gestures on this fucking planet. They were still considered to be nice and soft and all that kinda fun stuff when they were actually not just sweet and adorable. Emile could be serious and it was almost frightening to know them in control. 

"Remy, if neither you nor your cat - " 

"Virgil. Their name is Virgil." 

"Alright. If you are healthy and so is Virgil, I don't think I can excuse you at work. As much as I would like to, you are our one and only receptionist." 

Remy's heart fell and he let out an audible sigh. It felt like pushing bricks through his windpipe when he could have breathed regular oxygen.   
Whether his employer was hot or not, he couldn't just treat them like a friend or talk to them like some guy he wanted to hook up with. Okay, he kinda did but he tried to not listen to those thoughts. For once in a lifetime, Remy actually felt somewhat bad talking to Emile. He wanted to tell them off and never like his boss again. His chest was a fierce burning and he wanted them to regret being inconsiderate of the little kitten. 

Didn’t they know Virgil was an abandoned stray? They were confused and all alone in the middle of winter in a big, heartless city!

"I appreciate your honesty, still. But Remy, listen. If your cat is new and you are scared of leaving him -" 

"They. Virgil gets they /hem pronouns because they are a special person and deserved not to be misgendered." 

"Alright. If you don't want them to be home alone, how about we make work a little more home for hi- them." 

Remy pressed his lips into a thin line. For a moment, he hummed in deliberation. 

"What do you mean?" 

Virgil meowed on his chest and patted the phone in interested. Remy was sure they wanted to play. Emile received a little thud on their end.

"We keep your door closed and a little darker and hang up signs for people to try and be quiet so they can sleep. Cats sleep almost all day. Much more than we need." 

The receptionist nodded but realised that Emile could probably not see that. 

"Sounds okay." 

Emile let out a hum. 

"You would really do that? I'll get ready and come over with them." 

His boss let out a laugh. Remy's queer heart was blooming in delight. Maybe they were not bad. They just had obligations too and these needed to be fulfilled. Other than Remy, Emile was running a business and needed his employees. Remy only had a void on his lap and softness in his heart.

Of course! Why didn't Remy think about that. Any kind of doctor needed to take an oath, swearing to protect all life. Emile had to prioritise their clients. 

The cat meowed and Emile giggled again. 

"Hello Virgil! See you later, I hope" 

Remy's heart was beating so fast, he nearly swooned loud enough for Emile to hear him. His eyes closed and the sugar-sweet smile on his face refused to leave. Instead, it revelled on his lips for another few moments. 

"I'll pack up and see you in a few." 

Emile smiled, unbeknownst to Remy.

“Can’t wait to see you at work, Remy.”

*

Upon arrival, Virgil ducked away and cuddled up to Remy's chest. They were snuggled up under his jacket which they shared with Remy. Such a humble gesture. Whenever the cat heard a sound, they cuddled closer and flinched away from any source of sound other than Remy.   
His footsteps? All okay.   
Someone coughing? Fucking illegal. 

Remy was more than happy to know he brought about as much food and little things for Virgil to ease up and calm down. It should ease them up. But he couldn't change the smell and make it more comfortable for the cat to relax faster instead of hiding away a lot.   
It was still a wonder to him that Virgil was so trustworthy with him but then again, they all assumed they had been socialised before. But he didn't find a single person claiming to own the little void. Not yet, at least.

The man walked over to his little "office" only to be stopped from stepping inside.   
A sign, as promised. But that one wasn't for the others to be quiet. It was for him to move into the bigger office. 

“Reception moved to the main office.”

.. The main office was much bigger and Remy didn't know how Emile made it a usable working space for him and at the same time an adequate living space for Virgil but he would give it a try. If not, he would need to get some student to catsit his baby for a few hours every day. It wasn't like he desperately needed these bucks, anyway. It was okay. And he was willing and happy to spend it on his Virgil when they needed it more. He himself was glad, already. He had books and nice things but Virgil had nobody and had yet to be picked up by their original home.

A happy void was a good void and he wanted his void to be their best at all times. At least for the time being.

Virgil meowed and pawed at Remy. There was hesitation in their movement and after that, they stayed quiet as if to wait for their friend to reply to their request. The man just gently hushed the kitten by stroking over their black fur and humming a bit, quietly so.  
The surroundings were so white, so new and it smelled of stingy disinfectant sprays and other things. One of the walls was pastel pink. It was not just cold but also warm but not warm like Remy was warm. Or Virgil, for that matter. He was just glad to wear his sunglasses loyally.

Virgil curled further into the black jacket.  
  
“It’s okay, Queen, you will be fine”, he promised.  
  
He made it to the office. The only time he had been in this place was when he had applied for this position not too long ago. A few years, maybe. This was Emile’s personal office. He was standing in his office and his things were in here. Emile usually did not have too many things around but the pictures and the pastel walls were giving off a warm vibe. Again, it was not the Remy-kind of warmth but it was warm nonetheless and it made him feel funny things he could not quite place.  
Sometimes he forgot there was more than his own working space. That, and the fact that Emile had his own practice close to his home. He had probably been here early and had used the time to move furniture and accommodate Remy.

Literally, what kind of employer would ever do this?  
  
This office was innocent and playful like going to the kindergarten or being on a swing. It was simple and natural. Natural despite pastels being a little less naturally occurring, especially in a city like the one they were living in. Still, it was a soft colour and had some sort of soothing effect on him.  
  
Remy carefully nudged the door close behind him and brought Virgil over to the table where he was supposed to sit and work. The desk was larger and the wood looked like oak, perhaps. He was not the type of guy to know much about things. He just liked books and partying. He was a simple soul.

But his boss? He seemed to mind. Emile must haven taken time to invest in a certain vibe this office would convey. Maybe it was a psychology thing It calmed him down for sure.  
  
Now, while the walls and pictures screamed Emile, they also hummed Remy’s tone. His desk was filled with little pictures and decorations he had brought to make himself more at home.  
That was about the only delight he could relish in, working as an assistant or secretary or however people wanted to call his profession. Whatever, he was just there to welcome clients and give them some treatment plans he had printed according to Emile’s orders. Sometimes he would make appointments with people and negotiate about finances and payment plans. He checked prescriptions and other things, too. He mostly took care of all the social interactions beside the actual treatment Emile gave.  
  
Yeah, Emile had it all figured out and believe it or not, Remy was actually great at keeping some order together and be somewhat effective with people. He kept track of every person and their schedules. He just knew which days to propose and which days, dates and times were impossible due to things such as soccer practice for the kids or school or religious rituals and family traditions.   
  
Say whatever you want, Remy was good enough at his job to keep it yet still flip off enough people.  
  
However, now he needed to settle down and enjoy the new space.  
Or, well, absolutely hate how much it smelled of Emile and how it felt warm like them and their sweaters. Having the hots for his boss or uh, higher-up, was definitely the best thing to ever happen to him. Maybe not the best but it was entertaining to say the least. Virgil, on the other hand, was quite..quiet.  
  
The smol kitten was put onto the desk with care. Remy was handling a precious piece of creature right there after all. He watched them for a moment, the cat just crouching down and looking at him with wide, heterochromatic eyes.  
Right into his heart and soul.  
  
“I love you too, royal stray. Now let me work before I get fired, Queen of salt”, Remy offered and let his bag down.

He made some space, turned on the computer and gently nudged the cat. Virgil refused to budge and stayed put in front of the keyboard.  
  
“Kitten, I gotta work. Wanna sit on my lap? You can cuddle with me while I work.”  
  
Remy looked at them but there was no answer. Were cats the clever ones? Or was this dogs?  
Well, whatever, it’s not like Virgil would just suddenly all up and speak actual words. This was not a magical place after all, it was just a boring office.  
Or a warm office, actually. Not that it really mattered. (It did, to him.)  
  
“Caaat, come on, I need to work.”  
  
Remy put his arms around Virgil to at least type his log-in data into the computer and get his whole shit set up and finally started. After some time, he could start receiving calls and schedule things again. It was bad enough he was so late. He probably had a ton of emails to check about how some people needed to reschedule something or needed an extra appointment, maybe even an emergency one.

People, right?  
  
Nothing was ever right with people, it was inconsistent. Apparently, cats were not really as consistent either.  
Maybe living things just sucked and Remy did not know how to deal with that.  
The black blob of fur was still unmoving and even with the arms awkwardly surrounding them, they would not take any more action than purring.

Purring. Fucking purring.  
  
“Virgil, come on. Quit your bullshit and move, you are not supposed to be comfortable in my working space.”  
  
“Meow”  
  
“Yeah, meow you too, little bitch.”  
  
Remy rolled his eyes, looking for his brain so he could interrogate why the fuck he was actually arguing with a cat. Like talking to his brain was actually more sensible than discussing things with a cat and somewhat expecting a rational answer.  
  
“Okay, Queen, how about that: We can find you a box. You like boxes and I should have a box here - for paper. I swear, I will go totally feral if they threw this away. Anyway, I will just take away the paper and you can get all comfortable in the box, just like at my place.”

Virgil looked at him, purring and vibrating in interest. The sparkling eyes fixed on the man and Remy nodded. The void seemed to be pleased by this suggestion. Remy was allowed to breathe around the feral beast for a little longer. Great.   
The secretariat let himself drop into his swivel chair and he quickly rolled over to the printer and took the stash of printing paper out for the sake of making space for his kitty friend. Damn yes, he was glad Emile had not thrown this away. He would have trusted them to do such things.  
  
“Oh Virgil~”, he purred out in a voice akin to songs more than simple words, “come here, kitty kitty.”  
  
The kitten looked over, tail swishing around for a moment. They looked as if they were ready to get up and maybe even cooperate for a second. What a day of fucking miracles.

Remy experimentally patted the box and Virgil slowly moved over, purring still and with passion It sounded like the whole room was driven by the engine that was nothing but Virgil’s curious sounds. They were unique and even if Remy was sighing in exasperation at how much time the cat took to INSPECT AN EMPTY BOX OF CARDBOARD, he was smiling.

Eventually, Virgil was done sniffing and patting the box with paws and nose. They actually stepped into the small space and settled into the space like cat pudding.  
Wasn’t there some stupid shit of cats being liquid? He did not remember it quite well but he was sure there was something like that.  
  
“There you go, little void. I got a treat for you, you are doing so well.”  
  
He quickly pulled a little snack out of his bag and handed it to his kitten who took it immediately.  
Virgil’s nose was twitching for a moment and their little teeth crunched on the small treat as if this was the most festive and fancy meal they would ever receive. Those teeth looked like straight out of some vampire novel.  
But was that shit really so tasty for cats?  
  
..He kinda wanted to try that but he was human and he would probably hate that shit. He also kinda felt odd about the idea of eating Virgil’s food. He had his own food, seriously. He had such dummy thicc ideas sometimes.  
  
“You are the best little void”, Remy cooed and softly bonked their heads together.

Virgil’s insistent purring gradually seeped into the human. Closing his eyes, Remy just stayed in place and brushed his hand through the little kitten’s charcoal fur for a little while longer. It was warm. Warm like hugs were warm and drinking hot chocolate or similar drinks that made him feel fuzzy and sleepy.  
Maybe he met the kitty cat in winter, so he would be warmer and not the cat themself.  
  
“You two sure look comfortable!~”  
  
Remy ripped himself away from the dark kitten, his head whipping around so quickly, he could hear it giving off the sound of something breaking. Oops, neck. Sorry, not sorry. His reaction was so quick and violent, someone might have thought he was a teenager whose parents walked in on him pleasing himself. As expected (yet somewhat at the same time, not really), the boss themself was standing there and looking at Remy and Virgil cuddling. Emile chuckled but apologised at the scare they had driven into the others.   
  
The coffee-lover could do no more but raise an eloquent eyebrow instead of stuttering up some weak apology. He was not about that kind of speech anyway. Too much work. Instead, he was the type of person to, well, arch an eyebrow at his boss.  
Virgil’s colourful eyes were focused on the intruder. They stared into Emile’s soul. 

“Virgil is doing okay”, he replied as he pulled up his work email account and scheduling programme to put the things together.

Oh dear coffee bean, he still needed to check voice mail for all the info he had missed. Emile pressed their lips into a thin line for a moment before letting them pop back out.  
  
“You know, you can tell me these things first things in the morning instead of not coming and sending me ominous texts. I am more than inclined to helping you when I know that you are in need of certain accommodations.”  
  
Remy nodded but kept his eyes on the screen. For a brief moment, the man glanced over at his boss and clicked his tongue. He acknowledged them for just long enough to be somewhat polite.  
  
“Thanks.”  
  
He shrugged and Virgil meowed…in agreement?  
  
“Aw your kitten is so cute! Where did you get them again?”  
  
The doctor came into the office and slowly approached the kitten. Their back arched a bit, making them smaller. Virgil shrunk away from them and their ears changed position.  
  
Remy gingerly grabbed the little box of void and pulled them closer in. The kitten’s eyes widened and their body tensed, seemingly jumping into a position to pounce onto the intruder or flee within the blink of an eye. If need be, they were prepared.  
The man gently eased the kitten with small movements. He brushed the fur down until the void was in a more regular position but their small muscle strands were still obviously tensed up under his displays of affection.  
  
“They are shy. I found them around the trash in a side alley on my way home”, he explained curtly as he gently consoled the kitten who settled into the box once more.  
  
Safe box, good box.  
Best little void.

Remy was so proud of them for relaxing and trusting him. The flee stance was away and the cat did not look like they were a small kindergarten kid some big adult suddenly started yelling at for apparently no understandable reason. The kitten was doing well.  
  
“It’s okay, little Queen, bad Em will bow to your wishes, little darling.”

Emile straightened their posture and smiled at the two before them, waving.  
Could they do anything better than wave? They felt like an outsider watching an intimacy they would never be a part of. Like a child watching the perfect family from the other side of the window.  
It was so warm and so far away. The own world was so cool.  
  
Yet it was another kind of warm. Not smiles and soft words warm, it was more than reassurance and paid trust. There was a whole relationship in this warmth. It had established within just a few days. The time span was so strikingly short, the individual was genuinely shocked to have missed so much of Remy’s life in just a moment.  
  
Emile pressed their lips together again and sighed.  
  
“I just wanted to let you know that you can have the office if that helps. I will stack cat food and toys for the kitten, if you want to. I hope that helps you accommodate. But I need you to help me plan the refurbishment of your old office, then. Got any time during lunch break?”  
  
Remy shrugged.  
  
“I mean, if I do not have to catch up on anything else, sure. I cannot go out with Virgil. This is too much for them.”  
  
He glanced at them and gently pulled the kitten-box closer to his stomach.  
  
“You okay there?”  
  
Virgil meowed and was rewarded yet another pat on the head. The cat pushed against the gentle hand, eyes squeezed shut. Remy looked at them instead of his boss.  
  
“Okay, good. Now let me work, you demanding little bitch. I got your business to handle and finances to take care of.”  
  
The cat slowly blinked at him and he chuckled. Emile cleared his throat.

“Good then. I’ll leave you to it.”  
  
“Yeah whatever”, he cooed before he redirected his attention to the screen before him where he started scanning the first emails with plan changes. His right put down the notes of it with little abbreviations. Mrs. Shuster was probably running late again. He really needed to have a talk about this with Emile.

Talking about this, the pal was still standing there, abandoned eyes on the unattending Remy. He was patting Virgil with one hand and started clicking and reading at incredibly fast speed with his other hand.  
Emile did not notice they were staring, standing still as they were captivated by the simple scene before them. When Remy’s cool eyes, shaded by sunglasses, suddenly looked at them, they realised they had yet to leave.

“Anyway, I gotta get this stuff done. Need anything else?”  
  
His boss shook their head with a smile softer than butter in the sun.  
  
“I will leave you two to it. See you later, Remy, Virgil.”  
  
They nodded their head at each name and looked at the two. The void was basically invisible under the desk and in Remy’s lap.  
Just safe and protected as the needed it.

Emile left, swallowing the odd tightness in his throat.


	4. Little talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lunch break rolls around. Remy and Emile make a deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am totally not late because I am working on a big big project, oh no, absolutely never ever would that happen to me /s
> 
> Tags: food, eating, employer/employee, pining, remy, emile, kitty Virgil, quick mention of bereavement, sick days, systematic issues, ew world, fish, feeding the beast, mutual crushes, genderqueer characters, migraines, headaches, pain mention, exhaustion.

Remy sighed and pushed his keyboard away, effectively managing to continue to press until the keyboard was unable to go any further since it hit the screen’s humble frame. Eventually, he just worked to drive himself away from the big desk he was working at. The swivel chair let him roll all over the floor, the tiled ground smooth and willing to let him pass without obstacle. Virgil commented his shenanigans with a little movement of their ear. It was just a quick flinch. Remy was not sure but he suspected it meant he was listening or registering noise at least.

It was cute.  
But.  
This bastard cat was sleeping.  
  
The man sighed again.  
  
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me, Queen, I swear-”  
  
Well, no matter how threatening the fancy man tried to be, it did not reach the napping cat. The little void was all comfortable in his lap. There was not a single motion at his dramatic actions, not even a simple reaction. There was nothing but a bundle of black, so black that they camouflaged themself into the blackness of Remy’s pants. All that distinguished one from another was the slow movement of rising and falling.  
  
Virgil was breathing alright. That was good.  
Could cats have breathing problems? The vet said the cat was okay. Still, he made a mental note to look out for any signs.   
Knowing they were okay for now - with a pass by the vet - Remy felt like he could breathe much better himself. He had not noticed it but he released a soft sigh of relief. His eyes lowered to just watch the little blob of colourless something rest on his thighs.  
  
“I have lunch time, V, would you kindly get up and be awake and do cat things? You were awake all morning with me!”  
  
Despite his complaints, Remy’s words were barely audible. The receptionist was more or less hissing to himself and it sounded like a small snake cursing the world somewhere from the little hidden corner on the other side of the room.   
Far, far away.   
His threats were as empty as his condescension. Nothing but attitude.  
  
The kitten remained still and as much dopamine as there was being released within Remy, he could not help but wish to move...then again, the kitty cat was absolutely warm and the little weight on him was somewhat comforting in a refreshing manner.  
  
He had already finished most of his work despite having been late this morning and even needing to deal with a certain storm of emails and phone calls. Not to forget the actual real life human people that encountered him face to face.  
Ugh - the worst kind of people.

Oh fuck, he wanted more coffee. He wanted all the coffee he could ask for and then just nap for a few minutes and then get work done and go home and read some dumb romance novel.  
Don’t judge.  
He needed to get his prince charming from somewhere. It was not like Remy was dating anyone particularly... existing in the first place. And he just really craved some fucking love shit every now and then. You know, the soft trash with people holding hands and giving each other pet names and one bringing flowers for the others and that one thinking of a certain habit the one has so they are considering it in their regular activities.  
  
Remy’s facial expression faded from soft into something akin to receiving news of a bad weather day when you planned on doing any outdoor-activities with friends.

It just ... it was missing.  
  
“Ah! You are done?”  
  
Remy flinched, his little dream world immediately breaking down as the voice cut through the silence of his new office. His fantasy bubble blobbed violently on impact of Emile’s intrusive words hitting him. He looked up. A person was standing there, apologising and knocking. Knocking after already standing in the doorway and having addressed him.  
  
It was not a knight in shining armour to save a bored damsel in distress nor was it prince charming, ready to sweep the sleepy man off his feet.   
It was just his boss, Emile.  
  
...But it was his boss, Emile. 

Remy smiled and let himself fall back into his chair. He had not noticed how he had sat up with the sudden noise interrupting his thoughts. And his arms were slung around a sleepy yet awake little Virgil. As always, his grip was rather loose around the kitten. In a case of need, he would be tehre to hold and hug them, though.  
  
“Aw, I am sorry. I should have knocked before. Did I wake them up?”  
  
Remy blinked and nodded. Virgil was not awake but he nodded anyway, just doing it for literally no reason. Emile saw the sleeping kitten but did not comment.They squinted for a moment, worry shading their features. 

Was that just him or did it smell of food already?  
Oh fuck, he had forgotten about the food. Bitch, this cat would literally make him forget and miss about everything and all. First his post-work nap, then his rave, his whole weekend, now his work and lunch break were affected, too.

“You got food? Come in, come in.”

This little void was easily eating away his whole life without any hesitation. He readily let him.. In his defence, they looked so cute when yawning. The charcoal demon was stretched out on Remy’s lap and pushed their tail against his chest, turning to Emile and meowing at the boss.

Did they seriously greet them? Literally, Remy could not- this cat!

Or maybe they meowed at the smell, it did kind of smell nice after all and the kitten had slept through his entire time here after he had gotten to work. Not even Virgil liked mornings or staying up. At least they could get back to napping, Remy jealously noticed.  
  
“Virgil just woke up, what a coincidence”, Remy spoke, words jokingly snippy as he carefully picked up the kitten and stroked through their fur.  
“Good morning little sleepy head.”  
  
The kitten replied with a big orchestra of purrs and an eager bonk as they crashed their head against Remy’s. Little ferocious kitten attacking him.  
  
“Emile, I promise they want to kill me!”  
  
They laughed and held up a bag of food, slowly swinging it from one side to another.  
  
“Maybe we can bribe them with some lunch? It’s on me, meet you in the lunch room.”  
  
Remy carefully squeezed the kitten as his higher-up turned around to show their graceful behind, clothed in layers of pastels and beige. They looked the softest in the most boring yet also least boring way. It was weirdly hot, in a kinda cute and endearing way. Also, pastel colours just looked soft and somehow, they made it look professional but in a trustworthy and warm kind of way.  
  
It made Remy feel fuzzy and he hated loving it so much. Damn them for being so wickedly attractive.  
  
He swallowed his secret pining away and decided to get his kitten ready to follow Emile and get some food. Once he had his phone pocketed and his grip on Virgil secured, he was ready to walk after them. When they were close enough, he snuck over to the other side to handle whatever the heck Em wanted to talk about.  
  
Knowing them, it was probably something nice and soft or extra work that would get paid for super well because Emile was about the most considerate employer he had ever met. Also, because Remy was working as an untrained accountant while receiving full pay for handling literally all this business. Emile only made the official calls. Remy did not mind it because he knew, they somewhat advocated for this stance that employees were actual human beings. This meant they had needs and therefore were to be valued and appreciated and given space and freedom, so they could be creative and work effectively with as little restrictions as possible.  
  
Hence, Remy was allowed to hang up whatever kind of pictures and decorate his office in any kind of way. Well, nudity and such was not allowed, considering sometimes minors would enter the clinic as well, but other than that, Remy had challenged the therapist a lot.  
They never let him down.  
  
Also, they handled his amount of sick days without issues and allowed him to hand in more sick days than he legally had to accept. They easily brushed it off as half-work day or employer-covered vacation. You know, like the stuff you got when sick days counted but in that case, you did not have any and still got pay and zero threats. Or like, bereavement leave and all.  
  
Emile and Remy got together and the former put out the meals and slid them into their respective places as Remy got some plates and cutlery. The lunch room was a small kitchen. It had the most essential things. Virgil was standing on Remy’s seat and lurked around. Their tail was showing despite the table stealing the view on them. Emile could see them and they saw the tail slowly swishing from one side to the other.   
  
Hovering, waiting. Patiently. Like a predator. 

Remy returned and put the plates down.  
  
“Kitty, what the fuck are you doing”  
  
Virgil meowed, eyes wide. Their tail stood upright with a little curl forming itself into its tip. This little void was living the life of luxury and decadence to just eat and be carried, then sleep and get woken up only to get some more food.  
Remy was thriving on this attitude. What a luxury hoe. Such a Queen.  
  
“Remy, I think your cat will eat with us”  
  
His boss chuckled quietly and seated themself while Remy just sighed, rolling his eyes. By now, his head was hurting already. Not much but it was starting to hurt - moving hurt. It felt heavy and made him sleepy and exhausted.  
Concentration was.. slightly off. Especially his sustained attention.  
  
He carefully picked up his void and put them into his lap.  
  
“Meow!”  
  
“Yes, Virgil, yes. You will eat with us, just calm down.”  
  
The kitten wiggled in his lap and put their paws on the edge of the table, looking at the hot sweating food containers.  
  
“Virgil, behave. Come on, honey”, Remy warned. 

Even his voice seemed heavy and tired. He missed his nap. In spite of this, he was being an attentive “temporary pet-keeper”. His hand moved to gently nudge the paws away from the table. Then, he picked them up to let the kitten dance dance dance a bit.  
  
“I am a good kitty and I will wait”, Remy mimicked softly and moved the paws from one side to the other as Virgil patiently stood on their hind paws and stared at the world in confusion. 

Emile giggled at the display while Virgil did not know what the heck was going on. Did their temporary owner go insane? They pulled out another chair on which they prepared a smaller bowl with a bit of fish in it. No seasoning or spice or anything. They had gotten it from a nearby store they had visited on the way to pick up the food order. After all, they had not been sure about whether or not Remy actually had brought some food for the kitten but apparently, this arrangement worked and Virgil’s interest was sparked.  
  
They watched the bowl move from Emile’s hands over to the seat and once the bowl was settled, the kitten launched themself over to the chair and ducked their tiny raven head into the big bowl. Their whole head disappeared in it and only these dark ears peeked out from within.  
Silent chewing noise could be heard.  
  
“Remy! Remy! They eat the food I brought! Look at this kitten!”  
  
The receptionist couldn’t deny himself the joy of a small smile as he looked over at the small bundle of darkness hunched over the food bowl and purring in delight. In addition to this, Emile was giggling, beaming in delight and genuinely touched.  
Remy looked up at them. For a moment, their eyes locked but they both looked away, averting their gazes to look at Virgil instead.

It was rather silent for a moment, safe for the rhythmic vibrations coming from Virgil. Apparently they enjoyed their food.

“Hey, hey - careful now!”, he warned with a grin on his face. 

He nudged his sunglasses off his head and let them slip down and onto his nose to cover his half-lidded eyes. They gleamed at Emile for a moment.

“If you keep that up, maybe you will be their new favourite human.”  
  
Emile held their chest for a moment and settled opposite of Remy. Their cheeks seemed slightly reddened but they concealed it by tending to the food. They put some of the steamed vegetables onto their plate and added some fried rice. To top it all of, he had a bit of natural yoghurt from the fridge.  
  
They returned the playful shine in Remy’s eyes by smirking at him.

“You say that as if this was a bad thing, Remy “  
  
Remy snorted.  
  
“You say this as if you were planning to take this poor little cat away from my horrid claws, Emile.”  
  
Remy had finally arranged his food on his plate, steam curling upwards from his curry and rice. Even the food containers were still sweating and smoking in heat. They looked as if these containers acted like some sort of sauna. He fed himself a first spoonful of fried rice - the tiny brown one that looked like some holy glazed rice and so small it barely qualified as anything at all - and leaned into his seat.

Oh, this was just delightful.  
Savoury flavour bloomed in his mouth, exploding in contrasts to the soft and squishy rice with the slightly harder vegetables. The different tastes stimulated his tongue just right.  
If someone said foodgasms were a lie, they were missing out on this delight. It was the most subjective of all paradises.  
  
“The thing I wanted to talk to you about-”, Emile started, taking a bit of time to drink something in between. 

Talking all day made their throat as dry as a sand dessert.

“You can keep my office and let your cat come to work with you but I need to ask a little favour of you. I am sure you will want to agree! “  
  
Remy shifted in his seat. He blinked for a moment but gave a small nod to indicate he was not just listening to probably on board for whatever Emile was planning to have him do. The therapist let their lips curl into a genuine smile.  
  
“We need to give our new offices a makeover! I bet you would feel more comfortable in a novel set of four walls, huh?”  
  
The receptionist’s cheeks darkened by a whole shade and his chest jumped for a minuscule moment. Just a little harder. He was sure it was visible and even the kitten raised their head to look at the two, staring into Emile before letting their gaze rest on their temporary owner.  
However, they quickly lost interest and returned to chewing on their food.  
  
“Well, that sounds amazing but I.. Virgil isn’t mine.”  
  
Emile blinked and the kitten meowed, nudging back the bowl and retreating to Remy’s lap. He willingly picked up the void and brushed through their fur as always. The bowl was licked clean and absolutely blank. Apparently, the cat was more than just a bit into it.

It was silent once more. Even the cat did not purr despite the soft head scritches they got. Remy pursed their lips, a shadow hitting their face.   
Their whole beauty was obstructed.  
  
“See, their owners still might answer. I put up some signs and made a few posts on forums about missing pets. When I went to nearby shelters and called vets, I gave them a picture of Virgil and left my contact details around. They are not tattooed but they are too tame to be a wild cat.”  
  
Remy shrugged, voice deflated as he continued. The narrowed their eyes at him. The idea of an unaffected Remy seemed unrealistic. The man was cuddling the cat and wanted to call in sick - while knowing about how scarce his sick days were.  
  
“What if someone moved and accidentally left Virgil abandoned? Or they ran away during the chaos of moving?”  
He sighed.  
“You know, if nobody responds within a week, I think I will take you up on it. Until then I will just steal your office, honey.”  
  
His low voice swung up at the end of his sentence and he even let a small smile grow on his lips. Anyway, it was time to pay attention to his food. It was so much better than to look at Emile’s doubtful face.

“You know what”, Emile countered, “I have the feeling Virgil will stay with you. Nobody responded in days and they are attached to you. It would be cruel to separate you know.”

They helped themself to a bit more vegetables.

“Just you wait, Remy.”

The receptionist smirked back at them.

“Whatever, honey~”


	5. Territorial Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobody responded within a week and so Remy made sure to inform Emile so they could repaint the office. Virgil does not like being alone for long, especially when it is unexpected.  
> Luckily, the two are quick to make up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags: animal waster, cat litter box, urine, descriptions of urine smell, cleaning, a bit of fighting bc this is an upset kitty, food and eating mention, feeding, late nights, metal clanking sound, vaccine mention, vet mention, slight restrictions of breathing? Pining mention, auditory triggers, migraine mention, somft feelings, more snuggles and cuddles, kitty gone bad boi  
> i do not think there is any more to be applied. If you need me to add anything, please contact me here or on my tumblr (spacegayparty, spacegaywritings)

Metal clattered together as the key within the lock pressed deeper into it and started turning in order to open the door at last. The light sound filled the cool air. Eventually, the metal keys fell against the dark colour, wooden door and with a particularly loud ‘knack’ of the door, the lock gave way and the way was free.  
Remy finally stepped into his home.  
It was dark already but that did not stop him from wanting to go home, it encouraged him even further. He was the kind of person to change the night but with Virgil waiting for him, there was an intense urge to just be with the little pet. The darkness outside his apartment was driving him to be faster when the hours passed and passed.  
  
He had cleaned everything with Emile, right after fucking painting it all and reorganising two fucking offices. It was work. It was a lot of work but it was paid extra work on top of that, yet Remy was not exactly a fan of it. The man liked doing his thing, being left alone a bit but also having some non-annoying or intrusive/persistent social interaction. But.. working with Emile all day was as lovely as it could be exhaustive.  
That pal did not gossip enough! Remy wanted to talk about chill things, not how he hated or did not hate his parents and whatnot.  
  
Sometimes he wondered whether people moved away and went to other therapists so they would be safe from all their dreadful puns. Maybe it helped in therapy? He did not know but it made him feel fluttered and warm all the same. Still, it would get him to feel nauseous after some time. Maybe Emile played into his auditory triggers - too many words in too little time.  
  
Remy stepped into his home and closed the door.  
The sound of shutting it echoed through the vast emptiness in his apartment. Actually, there was so much nothing, it really filled the complete living space.  
  
Strange..  
  
All he could notice was a certain smell.. a pungent, intense smell. It was odd and he could not quite place it.  
It sort of reminded him of...

Oh no.  
  
He carefully switched on the light.  
Whenever he used his lights, he could not help but be glad about having found proper lamps that did not cause too much eye strain at once. People who developed and invented ideas for dim light bulbs and lamps that were made to be comfortable rather than stinging in illumination were simply saints and he would never back away from this opinion. Those were fucking heroes because they helped the dumb minorities like him that was too Extra (tm) to live with regular things.  
  
When the dim lights, he loved so much, showered the hallway in golden warmth, he noticed.. a weird bit of something on the floor.

Please please no.  
  
“Virgil?”  
  
He called into the void, for the void.  
Nothing came back.  
  
Was the cat okay?  
  
Remy carefully made his way over to the weird something on the floor. It looked like spilled liquid, somewhat translucent and odd.  
Did... Did Virgil vomit or pee onto the floor? Holy fuck, it smelled awful in the most indescribable ways. He did not want to describe it anyway, let alone sniff it enough to figure out certain components of the smell or any similarities to other scents.  
  
...Oh dear fuck.  
The smell - It was cat pee. Virgil had decided to fucking ruin his floor right in front of the little cat toilet he had put up.  
  
Well... that was it, he supposed. It had been a dream that Remy did not really have to “potty train” the kitten since it came with a lot of good manners already. That was so much of an indicator that the cat was from somewhere, that they were civilised and socialised.  
Still, after weeks of no answers, Remy had cut the search and was happy to call the cat his own (albeit he never said so but the smiles on his face were more frequent than before and even his migraines seemed more at ease - not to mention how rare they had become).  
  
But it was too nice to have a cat - a first pet - that just was clean and trained and would use the litter box accordingly.  
  
“I swear, you are going to kill me, Queen. I just cleaned it in the morning. It cannot be that bad, can it?”  
  
He already moved to open a few windows and make sure the horrible smell would yield to the fresh air of the evening.  
Maybe he should not have been outside for so long without sending anyone over to check on Virgil and catsit after all. Remy admitted he should look into some silly students who needed the money and would be happy about just cuddling a cat and being able to have some WIFI and such.

But really, he had not planned to stay outside for that long. He had wanted to run over and check in on the dust ghost during his lunch break. Sadly, Emile did have that sort of amnesia effect on him. His horny brain went dumb and forgot all the important logic and memory. Therefore, he had been too stupid from love to really think about Virgil needing him at that moment.  
Next time, he would discuss this with Emile beforehand. One mistake was alright as long as nobody was hurt and he learned from it.  
  
With black bags under his eyes and shades perched up on the top of his head, he grabbed a few tissues, gloves and a mop and got ready to clean up. Excitement as great as it could have been in such a situation, he got down to clean up and once done, he finished up over there and tended to the litter box.  
  
Nearly empty. There was like, the usual stuff but it was not much because he had cleaned it in the morning - on purpose!  
  
“Are you fucking kidding me? Virgil, why would you do this?”  
  
A deep groan of annoyance split his lips. He got up to remove the bit of waste that was still residing inside. It just took a few moment and it was already done. He disposed of the dirt properly and put his cleaning utensils into the dedicated space.   
A tinge of worry hit him as he did so. The cleanness was achieved at last but what about Vi- Just then, a streak of black crossed his view.  
  
“Virgil!”  
  
His tone was low, touching a bit into the territory of a parent. Specifically, when a goody two shoes did something wrong and the parents got all “I am not mad, just disappointed”.   
The kitten ducked away and whipped its tail down before slowly swishing it from side to side.  
They almost looked ready to fight and as if Remy had provoked it, the void suddenly jumped at his black boot - yes, just one. This was one smol individual and they had yet to be tol enough to attack two Remy feet at once. Soft paws drummed onto the shoe and the ball of charcoal furry was hissing and scratching.  
  
“Hey! Ow-”, Remy hissed back in surprise and slight aggravation, “Virgil, what the fuck!”  
  
The cat jumped back and Remy quickly dropped his jacket, revealing a black sweat shirt he was wearing underneath.   
The angry cat hissed at the man and ducked and arched their back. Then, they went in for the fight, now aiming at his knees. A pair of claws jumped at him, so Remy committed himself to the idiocy of catching the cat and picking them up.

Virgil did not get his knees but they did catch some skin of his arms.  
  
“What is wrong with you, gurl? Do you want to play? This is some shit way to tell me about it, queen. You pissed on my floor.”  
  
Virgil hissed again and Remy blinked in incomprehension. He should learn more about cats or something. Like, take a course in cat training because this whole behaviour was too sudden and confusing for him to make sense of it. These acts were so contrary to what they had done before to him. Even at the start of their relationship they had been somewhat loving towards once another.  
  
He did not want to admit it but.. the cat rejecting him kind of stung. Yeah, his attacked shoes were also a point of inconvenience he did not really approve of but they were manageable.  
The cat was down on the ground again but definitely not down-to-earth. They were already spitting fireballs at the belated arrival and Remy was cursed with being puzzled forever since they could not communicate and explain what happened.

Remy was unfortunate to think of Virgil as playfully fighting him. By instinct or whatever.  
  
“Hey Queen, if you wanna play, can you just give me a minute or two, so I can eat? I want to exist, too, and you need to eat as well.”  
  
He collected the food and water bowl and made sure to fill everything properly. Virgil had abandoned him again in favour of creepily staring at him from afar. The tail was swishing like a clock’s ticking arms. And they were counting his time until being brought to justice by Black Cat Law, aka The Void Law.  
  
The cat owner emerged from the kitchen, filled bowls filling his hands.  
Dry food, just a bit - minimal amounts. Wet food - the main source of sustenance for the kitty cat. Water - because kitty cat got free bowls of water twice a day, thrice when at work with him.  
Remy put it back into place and the kitten quickly returned to retrieve the food.  
  
“Yeah, now you are happy, are you not?”  
  
The cat very much ignored him so they could feast upon the bouts of food brought to them. Finally their slave human was working again and feeding them as he was supposed to.  
Rude to just take an unannounced break.  
  
“Yeah, I should have expected you to be bitchy without food. You are just like me, are you not, little honey?”  
  
A chuckle could be heard as he took a little moment to relish in the sounds coming from the Void of Darkness and Fire (tm) purring and chewing. The noises were barely audible but Remy has started picking up the most silent ones. It helped him detect the kitten’s feelings or locations when he needed to tend to the cat. Also, it made finding the cat easier for when he wanted to give them a little goodbye-snuggle before going to work.  
  
The urge to cuddle the cat right now was strong but he made sure to not do it.  
Cats hated that, as much as sources told him. Sources were the internet and people and also a book he had gotten by now. And the vet he had visited once more after he decided to keep the cat since nobody seemed to care enough. Also, vaccines.  
Other than that, Virgil also scratched him once he tried to snuggle them while eating. This was only legal when Virgil was already snuggled up to him due to pure pity they felt for him. Such a Queen.  
  
“You are too good for anyone, kitty. I am sorry for leaving you alone for so long.”  
  
No answer - but the black blob of fur seemed to be at ease with the food and water. This was a start, he thought to himself. Remy still felt guilty for leaving them alone for so long. Then again, he had expected to have the time and get home for a little bit during his lunch break but that did not work out, somehow. And going after his official working hours was not okay.  
  
He should give someone his keys so they could look after the little Queen of Salt for a bit when he had to stay away longer.  
What if an emergency ever came up?  
  
His head shook the thoughts of darkness and anxiety away. Instead, he busied his empty hands with the simple task of reheating some food he had made before. Tomorrow he would get some chicken for his kitten to make up for being so neglectful and thoughtless. He needed to be more considerate and accept his responsibilities. After all, he was some kind of caretaker right now - a cat parent, if you will.  
  
Remy leaned back and took a deep breath.  
  
“Virgiiiiil ~”, he cooed softly and took out a little kitty treat.

Just one.  
It was not just for his guilty conscience but also for the cat to know he did not mean to. Virgil needed assurance and the stability of life. Giving him some sort of praise for being alone all day - for literally at least 10 hours - was appropriate, he supposed.  
  
The kitten was already done with their bowl of food and was currently drinking when the smell of more food and the sound of Remy’s - their owner’s voice - reached them. They sensed being called over and looked up from their bowl, licking their muzzle and nose with a satisfied look on their face.  
  
“Kitty cat”, he purred again and the void gently let their tail swish just a bit above the floor for a few single strands of their fur to trace over the dark ground.

They purred back in solidarity. Soft paws sunk into the similarly dark floor. The kitty took one step after the other and slowly progressed, body slightly lethargic from the recent intake of food. The ball of fur and mischief made their way over to Remy and sniffed the air.  
A determination ruled their fine movements.

Ah, yes. More food.  
Good human.  
Their eyes sparked at the man, radiating praise and appreciation.  
  
Remy smiled in return and carefully nudged his hand close enough for Virgil to nibble at the treat. Immediately, they welcome it into their mouth. Without realising it, the owner visibly relaxed, the air standing in his lungs was flowing out of his nostrils and allowed him to inhale deeply. His posture eased up and his shoulders were now more straightened and calm compared to before. St a few moments ago, the weight of guilt tore down his body and forced his back to be crooked along with pushing his shoulders into a hunching position.  
No more guilt was crushing him anymore, though. The cat had accepted his apology and was carefully pushing their head into Remy’s idle palm. The feeling of warmth, a bit of dampness and furry delight was tickling the receptors in his hand. The warmth travelled up to his chest, spreading throughout all of his body in the process.  
  
“You are too good for me. Aw, Virgil. Little Queen of Salt”, he purred and gently shifted to lean over and started brushing over the smooth and slightly shining fur of his little companion.

His left was holding the curious head of a peculiar kitty cat and he gently started scritching their chin - well, the underside of their chin. It was a bit lighter than the rest of their body. At least, this is what it seemed like to him. It felt warmer and more brownish, yet just as lovely as the rest of them.

Peaceful purring filled the room with soft sounds and calming noise instead of haunting silence  
  
“I love you too”, he chuckled.  
  
Maybe he did not know everything about cats, nor did he understand all his little sass-bean was trying to express with their general body posture, the position of their torso or their tail either - really, he did not know much at all - but he was still trying his best. He certainly was getting better at it and this counted, did it not? Also, it was not like he did not try to educate himself. His workplace naps were replaced by reading in his “cat bible” and literally taking notes.  
  
Hands gently curled around the food-filled body of a satisfied little void. Cradling the coal cat in his arms, he held them close to his heart and walked over to their couch.  
  
“Does my little storm cloud want to cuddle?”  
  
His voice was a low coo and the kitten responded with audible purrs and an enthusiastic bonk when their heads crushed together again.   
Ow.  
... He would totally never get used to cats showing affection like that.   
  
Well, still worth it.  
Apparently, cats did that to show love or some trash. Whatever, Virgil barely ever did it but it got more and more frequent after their first days together. Now it was more often instead of rarely but it certainly was not the most usual and common thing between them.   
Still, it could change. At the moment he just wanted to relish in the warmth of their cuddles and the comfort of their intimacy.  
  
Remy flopped onto the couch and left the cat on his chest while he simply laid down flat onto his back like a lazy plank swimming in the water. Just floatin’... simply going with the flow, adapting to any wave.  
  
The cat returned the action by softly pushing their paws into his ribs. Lungs complained due to the compromised volume for more precious and essential oxygen. Not that Remy cared.. nor did Virgil have the cognitive ability to care.  
  
“You having fun there, kitty?”  
  
This cat was royalty and Remy would continue to lay around and simply have them run up and down his body. All he wanted to do was.... just take off his pants and such and put on a more comfortable and flexible pyjama. Falling asleep in tight jeans was not as great (they were great for getting some looks from his boss, though). The idea of moving around right now was just as unpleasant as the idea of falling asleep and waking up in the pants he had worked and sweated in all day.  
  
Unfazed by anything, the void was simply preparing their human bed for a little longer before settling down onto his ribcage...warm and pressing. Just a tad uncomfortable.

“Okay, there you go-”

Yes, this was love.

Remy was too exhausted and comfortable to feel too bothered by his air flow being obstructed. Slowly, he felt himself drift off. The man was soon in a light version of a slumber and gradually become a victim to the sweet relief of a little nap. The discomfort of sweaty and smelly clothes was forgotten when exhaustion took over. The overwhelming state of being physically drained got the best of him.   
All good sentiment was forgotten when the comfort of a good cat and a warm home hugged him.

Bye bye meal he had wanted to have. He was already satisfied in other way.  
He was home.  
  
This was heaven.


	6. Queer Voices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remy has a lazy day after his hard and long day at work. Virgil is very glad to be with him and comment on his shenanigans as much as a cat can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags: human = slave for a cat, mentions of pets eating humans, mentions of cat scratches, Remy going worst case scenario of “lmao cat might kill me”, mentions of blood, wtf remy seriously, criticising the world, hating on rich people, fuck reality tv, remy has weird thoughts, migraines, chronic pain gang, medication-induced dummy thoughts, questioning the world, microphones, singing, weird echo distortion, auditive triggers (described), eating, silly dummy, soft cat shenanigans, remy is a soft owner 
> 
> I do not think there is any to be applied. If you need me to add anything, please contact me here or on my tumblr (spacegayparty, spacegaywritings)

Remy flopped his body back down onto the couch. He had just about left his bed and done the most essential actions to start a day.  
  
“Virgilius kitty catticus”, he called lowly, laying flat on the couch.

His legs were sprawled out like the seductive lover in a peculiar pose... or any liquid simply taking up as much space as they could. Yeah, he classified to be the latter, if any. This was to put it nicely. He did not look loving or seductive at all. His body was about as tempting as a greased bucket of expired fat for frying fries. For a more trained eye, he might have resembles a starfish with his limbs facing away from him and stretching wide and far into the world as if to get as much exposure to air and light as possible. Maybe he was some kind of starfish-lover-grease-plant. 

Yes, he was a really super special plant and he shall live like this!  
Immobile, comfortable, unfit for work and cared for by nature only. Not to speak of how he refused to care for anything and anyone either.  
Didn’t everyone aspire to be a nice house plant? Like a house cat! Now he and Virgil could be more than friends - bestest friends... perhaps even bitches in crime.

They would absolutely trash the household by demanding a lot of care and just throwing out some dirt. If he was a plant with mobile or flexible limbs under his control, he could knock things from counters like the void did. Remy definitely learned how much cats seemed to enjoy playing into gravity’s power. Virgil was a never-ending source of knocking random things off the counter, off the shelves and tables and whatever else they could find.

“Virgiiiiiil~”  
  
Remy had accepted his fate: he was hosting a little demon kitten, a spoiled mini Queen expecting royal treatment when he was just a humble worker who bitched at idiotic people.  
Why, oh why-  
As he laid there, drama overcoming him, existential dread rumbled in his guts. The hunger from going without sustenance for a whole night consumed his being, Virgil finally made their way over to them and decided to give him a lovely greeting. His migraine-ridden head was met with the sudden impact of a whole furry kitty skull just crashing against it.  
  
Instantly, pain exploded in his mind, his brain pressing against his skull from the inside and pounding wildly. Throbbing agony painted his features and he groaned, his face distorting to present the mask of a broken man, hopeless for any improvement. It was not that the area Virgil had bonked their head against was hurting more. No, it was like touching a bubble and destroying the whole of it in the process.  
  
“Ughh...”  
  
His voice was tired and, his brows heavy and lethargic from the constant anguish pushing him into the ground. At the same time, his head felt detached from reality. It was an unreal experience.  
The pain was present, persistent and heavy on him as it crushed his appetite. While his body demanded food, it also demanded him to stay off any intake of nutritions via mouth. Nausea washed over him and he felt warm , uncomfortably hot even. Sweat seemed to break over his miserable, physical vessel and he pressed his lips together in regret, not even daring to think about opening it. He felt feverish but knew he was not. He had tested it several times.  
  
He had to stop thinking.   
Thinking hurt.

“ d’s hur’s...”, he mumbled incoherently.

Neither his head nor his lips wanted to do the talking at the moment. Sounds hurt, too.  
  
The man wanted to tell the little bitchy kitten that head bonks - while affectionate - were painful when he had bad migraines. He wanted to explain himself to the little creature who would just meet his torture with the inability to understand him. Even if the kitty tried, they would be unable to ever understand his words as he meant them. Virgil learned by context.

Realising the kitten got no head pats in return or any other sorts of physical affection, the little void pawed at his face and gently nudged their head against Remy’s once more.  
It was gentle, this time.  
  
“Mrow!”, the cat argued.  
  
Remy wanted to shake his head but feared the nausea would become even worse. The little soft nudge was.. endearing. The tender displays of affection did not heal him but it helped, it eased him. It was nice to know the kitten did not understand but still reacted to him, still cared and was there at once when he decided to call for them.  
  
Remy was brave enough to swallow his nausea. He shifted experimentally.  
  
Huh.. fine. It was kinda fine, right now.  
  
The nausea was just out of reach and he took the chance to quickly shift to his side and turn his whole body over. Remy gently patted the couch and patiently waited for the little kitten to follow him. His face was in the same space, just facing the other side.  
  
He was unusually off-fashion. His boxers were basically all his pyjamas, his shirt was a loose shirt from the women’s section. It was barely gracing over his features, loosely falling onto his skin.   
Listen, he looked especially pretty with his hips showing a bit.  
  
“Huhww...”, he whined in pain. 

HIs eyes shut automatically. It was good that eyes had the reactive mechanism of closing when light hurt too much. With the little bits of light that intruded home shut out , he curled further around the kitten. Virgil gently nudged his chin and stretched into his arms. Pushing the little head into his palm, they received little head scritches once more and he gently caressed the kitten’s small chin.  
  
His pain killers should kick in soon. He was so glad that special medication for migraines existed... if he was lucky, they would just knock him out and he would wake up in a bit, lacking pain and nausea at all and feeling so much better. One day, he wanted to feel like a person would feel when waking up in the morning: free, fresh and ready to seize the day.  
  
Remy soon drifted off to sleep. The comforting feeling of his Queen of Salt tapping his hip bones was one of the most assuring actions one had ever performed on him. They curled up in his arms, right next to him. In solidarity to one another, the two eventually drifted into a respectful and hopefully healing nap.  
  
A few hours passed and magically, Remy woke up. His body was heavy and his energy levels ran low. Instinctively, he rolled onto his side and rubbed his eyes.  
  
The process was.. not just as smooth.  
As he started to roll over, a little resistance could be felt next to him and he felt the intense heat on his chest suddenly be exposed to the much cooler air around him.

Remy’s head was still heavy when he turned and he could feel his mind draw a painfully sneaking blank. Thinking was a drop-by-drop process compared to quickly pouring liquid from one into another container. But when he blinked, looking around and not seeing the familiar Overlord of Darkness, he knew there was a problem.

Oh- Oh, Virgil.  
  
“aw.. sorry Virg”, he mumbled.  
  
St once, he moved off the squeaking kitty and sighed. Holy fuckery, he was more than glad he had not tried to roll over the kitten. This could have ended in the worst possible ways. Surprised at himself, he blinked.The kitten complained and nastily pushed their tail into his face in revenge. Yeah, the one and only Queen of Salt was right then and there. If they acted like this, they were obviously all up and healthy.

Oh, and would you look at this. His nausea was almost entirely gone. The rest persisting in his throat and stomach was probably the greedy claw of hunger.

Cat + pain-free state = happy Remy.  
  
“Aw, kitty”, Remy cooed and gently pulled the crabby bean into his arms, cradling them close.

Virgil meowed in protest but it was a formality rather than a wish. When Remy got up, they decided to stay put and curl up against his chest once more, the inviting warmth winning over even the the charcoal grumpy cat. If they had been truly enraged about him squeezing them by accident, they would have given Remy an actual taste of pain.  
  
“Meow”, they mumbled in return and Remy kissed their head.  
  
“Yeah, sorry for the wait. You and I are getting food right now”  
  
He carefully got up, minding his step and circulation as he made his way into the kitchen with calculated movements. Whenever he got a bit further, he identified the next space he could lean against or a corner he could slide down from. Just in case his body was “too weak” and prissy with him to make it over to the kitchen and stay loyal to him while making a meal.

Remy should get a walking stick.  
  
Eventually, he got over, took his supplements to further ward off migraines, dizzy spells and many other issues his existence was pained with. Cramps and muscle twitches. Those were those bitches!

Virgil was down at his feet, not daring to wander the counters when he would cook. They knew better than to do so. The kitchen was basically off-limits for feral cat shenanigans of jumping and dumping anything they would find interest in. 

Within a few minutes, Remy and Virgil were snuggled up on the couch, lazy breakfast in his hands and kitten sprawled over his leg, nibbling at a little snack he had gifted them.. well, as a treat. Also, the cat just needed to eat, okay? The cat was contently purring on his leg, basically massaging it with the stubborn vibrations radiating off of them. They were happily chewing on a bit of meat Remy had placed on a napkin for them. He himself was stretched out under a thin yet fluffy blanket, as black as his soul. With that, he meant that it was a dark, shimmery blue that looked almost as dark as raven yet shone like charcoal and reflected the light blue-ly enough for him to call it blue. Every now and then, it would look like a cave of darkness when from other angles, it would look like a mysterious shade of blue.   
A bit like the vast universe.

The official cat owner pushed his eggs aside with his fork and let said cutlery rest abandoned on his plate as he finally gave up on eating. This whole breakfast thing might not have been exactly his type of life.   
Eating at 11 am was... illegal. Too early. A true abomination. Who would do anything like this? What kinda fucking bitch even invented this sort of activity? This was torture, not a fucking luxury!

Mornings were there to either work or sleep forever.

Remy groaned.

Virgil seemed to have passed out on his left thigh, a whole bundle of raven fur curled up next to him and halfway covering up his own body - even warming it. This cat was probably the only person he ever wanted to see in the morning. Or even interact with.

Yeah, fuck everyone and everything else. It was “No social, only Virgil” - his new life motto.

Seriously, now. This little monster was probably the only creature allowed to breathe around him during mornings. He detested mornings but during migraine days, he could not bear to be existent - oh, this was another level of hatred he bore in his angy heart.

Mornings were the worst because he had to take medication, sleep away half the day and then still be in at least a bit of pain. Yet the idea of Virgil lazily purring on him without annoying him, without demanding attention or needing anything? Now this was true luxury if he ever knew any! Being himself was already a luxury and he paid a lot for it with sweat, pain and an angelic patience to never spill scalding hot coffee over other people when they dared to annoy him during his most painful episodes.  
  
Remy pushed his food away, plate immediately deserted on the other side of the couch. If he dared to as much as move a bit more to the front, he would have to lean in closer and move his upper body. This was too much work. Cancelled.  
With Virgil cuddled up on his thigh, head literally resting close to his hip, he would quite frankly crush the little kitten or trap them at the very least. He did not want to disturb or even hurt the little void. Come to think of it, he could not stand the thought of it even in the slightest. The little beast getting hurt was also illegal. This was his favourite bitch and he would not just let them get hurt. Under no circumstances, especially if he could prevent it by any means.

His body curled around the little blob of black as if they were about to get hurt and only their close physical contact was able to save them both from tremendous trouble. Remy shielded the little spark of joy in his life.  
However, the kitten was about as sympathetic as always and grumbled in response.

“Meow!”

Virgil looked at him. Remy blinked back, dace unmoving.

“Shut up, I am loving you right this fuck.. the.-...the f u ck now.”

He cleared his throat and, again, blinked back at the Queen of Salt who slowly blinked at him. They pushed Remy’s annoying appendages away and nudged themself into a more comfortable position within their owner’s arms. Once completely satisfied, the cat continued purring like the motor they were.

“There you go, sassy snitch.”

The tired man commented, a small chuckle erupting from his throat. A warmth started spreading in his chest again, filling him from the inside. Virgil fuelled themself with their persistent purrs in order to produce more and more heat and vibrations.  
This was a circle of heaven.  
On one hand, it was a bit like rich people going to these fancy salons so they would look a bit less shit and also much more artificial. Somehow it was a big fucking trend for some fashion victims to look the least human possible and resemble plastic more than anything else. That or maybe some horror creatures.   
Remy had no more than cynical eyebrow raises left when he saw shows coming up that presented these people like on a plate of food. Dehumanising, really. Society made people hate themselves for being people and looking like fucking people. As if anything about mean, horrifying mask faces were anything people wanted to see or talk about. The viewers were probably all thirsting after a big old cup of tea because they would definitely not get a tall glass of water in these trying times of reality TV or whatever this bitchy excuse of bullshit was called.

“Meow.”

“Yes, Virgil, Totally think so, too.”

This, this was it. Those interactions were all he needed to make him feel... complete. He felt.. rich but in the more sensible and less extremely insane way. He was not materially watch. Ha, suck it “Material Girl”. No, he was emotionally enriched by Virgil’s presence. It was another kind of fancy and luxurious since it pleased his soul rather than his need to be loved by others. He was blessed and warmed with the love and closeness of a little creature that enjoyed him being around.   
Somewhat at least.

“I love you, little kitty cat. You are the right kinda bitch.”

Okay, LISTEN. Virgil did not try to eat him in his sleep yet so he might was well consider them best buddies, given that the cat had so many opportunities to slice him open and drink his blood until he was dead and the little hellspawn was satisfied but instead they were simply cuddling up to him all the time. Maybe they were just tolerating him but they were doing a pretty good job and pretending to care about his ass whenever he was not moving a lot or literally suffered greatly.

Virgil turned to him, blinking ever so slowly, “mrow?”

Yeah, that was all the evidence needed. Virgil loved him and he deserved it because he was a truly rich bitch who worked for his shit and did not try to look like plastic or be scary. Wow, rich people were so scary with their weird needs and urges and deeds... He would never get over plastic faces and that was his last word on this topic. This sudden realisation kinda hit him hard. Like, even in that slow, numbed and dull conscious, he saw the dots, observed the connections and got to a surprising conclusion of people being plastic and this being very weird.  
Striking thoughts, clearly. Or maybe he was just being ..confused..Uh, what was he thinking about? Oh man.. It felt like he has had a major mental break through about whatnot - maybe, Kim Kardashian’s ass and how he can achieve his butt to be just as thicc.

The man shook his head, letting all the confusing thoughts leave his head. He shook them off like the wetness of an umbrella after coming in from a rainy day. Outside, the world was pretty silent and not a single sound other than Virgil’s sing-song purrs lulling him into comfort could be heard. He was a chronic pain bitch, he made sure to never have too many sounds around which was why his hobbies were silent and boring, mostly.

Still, Virgil loved him. They really did because they bonked their head against Remy’s hip bone, once more. There was no pain, only ore head scritches for the little kitty.  
He closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath. It smelled of love, of warmth and hugs. How were these valid scents? Because he smelled them, honey, that is literally all it needed to qualify.

“You are perfect, little kitty.”

The two cuddled for a bit longer, Remy’s thoughts drifting slowly. His mind was on a ride on one of these slow merry-go-rounds. It was delirious, magical. Thoughts brushed over him like a breeze, one after the other passing him and tickling his imagination until one would stick with him for long enough. Instead of just passing by, it was more like bumping him and making him look at this thought content in particular.   
  
Music.  
For some reason, the idea of nice calming melody was the worst to ever happen to him but maybe a peppy song would get his spirits back up and work down the soreness from being stuck in a morning, still. The idea was so alluring, he felt his heart beat in excitement.  
Virgil rose their head.   
Remy cradled them close, picking them up and settling them on his chest. Arms were still wrapped around the little void.  
  
Instinctively, he got up, his body sweeping over the floor. His toes were numb to the feeling of the ground and his mind saw nothing but his task. As always, the warmth of the void was close to his chest and keeping him warm as the loyal little disaster they were. They curiously looked around as the flat passed by him. It was so natural for them to be close and go to any place together, Remy felt as if their auras would melt together.

“Meow?”, the cat inquired curiously.

There was such an innocence in their deeds. Apparently, they realised a bit of a change at the very least. They looked over his shoulder as they only ever did when they just arrived here for the first time. Or, well, would be new to any other area they went to together. Virgil knew where they were but something about Remy’s actions seemed to spark a sense of novelty.  
The cat meowed again, a larger chunk of excitement swinging in their voice as Remy did not acknowledge the first attempt at communication they had proposed.

“Meow!”

The persistent meowing grabbed the determined man’s attention and Remy settled in his room, in front of a box, little charcoal monster in his lap.

“What do you want, Queen? Is my body not soft enough for your royal ass?”, he teased softly as one of his hands settled on their head.

Fingers entangled in the fur and gently scritched the areas around their ears.  
Virgil leaned in. Their head rested in his hand and they simply relished in the soft touches and rewarded their obedient owner with a low purr.

“Oh, what is that? Are you happy now? Are you happy, now that I give you more attention?”, Remy asked softly, his voice prickling in amusement yet being overall subtle rather than pushy, “You are just the best little kitty, V.”

“Memrrroww!”

Remy got lost in the little void looking up at him, neck craning to accommodate the new angle. They blinked ever so slowly. A snail would move faster from one end of the street to another than Virgil would when taking the time to blink at him. It was sort of amusing, really. Remy read it was some kind of display of affection. It was endearing for sure. The owner knew because Virgil’s snuggling up to his palm and purring out “meow”s was something to make his heart feel.. warm and.. and right in his chest.

Things felt right.

Then it occurred to him.  
The box.  
He had come here for a reason, not for nothing. There was a sense of determination lighting up his heart just as much as his love for the little bundle of black salt in his lap.

His unoccupied hand carefully lifted the box’s lid and let it slide down until it arrived on the ground with a dull sound. At once, the vibrations in the air ceased, the soft sounds of purring abruptly stopping as if the internal cat programme to keep it running crashed and failed to recover. The kitten moved its head to follow the sudden intrusion of the sound. Their ears were up, sharp and indignant at the sheer audacity of a noise around them when they did not personally and officially approve of it to exist here at this time.

However, at least the cat did not hiss or anything. They just looked for a bit while Remy reached into the box, intent guiding his blind hands.  
Virgil stared into the box for another moment before their ears slowly retreated to their more relaxed state and the kitten allowed themself to nudge Remy’s hand again. With one hand in the box, he only had one more to actively stroke the thunder cloud in his lap. He gladly took the opportunity to gift the small beast with a few more scritches, his hand travelling to their shin to gently stroke and scratch it with as little force as possible in order for the feline monster to be appeased with his actions.

They were.  
Virgil let the weight of their head be carried by Remy’s patient hand while the other rummaged in the box the cat has already lost interest in.

What. A. Fool.

His free hand wrapped around the pole-like shape, his fingers gracing the cool material. Ah, finally. He pulled at it until he had retreated his hand enough to reveal the object to broad daylight. It shone a bit, almost as if to mimic the metal it wanted to be made of. He pulled up the slender object, the weight enough to tell him he had something in his hands. It was light but not enough to make him forget about the fact he was holding something. The object’s shape was clear and direct. A few simple touches told him he was right.  
His eyes were not needed in this point. He could tell it was the desired object without being able to see through the muffled darkness of the little storage. It was dark, it was always dark where he lived and got to control the dimness of the light.

“I got ya, bitch.”

Virgil gave him a look for a moment but he had only eyes and hands for the object. By now, he was “inspecting” it with both hands.   
The weight was low enough for his noodle arms to get it easily without any exhaustion. Even with barely any food in him, he was capable. Okay, sure, he worked out but he was not that strong. A sandwich was probably just as heavy as this object. Remy pulled it against his chest with a sense of satisfaction washing over him. A proud smile adorned his features and he glanced back down at the Queen of Salt in his lap. Something within him told him that the furry friend by his side would understand what he just did, would feel what he had in mind.

For now, he was saved by the cat’s sweet and sour ignorance.   
They were like a little child. Not knowing much about the world yet being so eager and amazed at every little novelty they deemed to be a true wonder and a wonder only, for it was revolutionising the world for them. Probably, it was.  
They did not know it just yet, but there was a big big miracle approaching them. Virgil was about to get to know a very natural yet artificial wonder very soon, Remy would make sure of that. As their caretaker, it was sort of his job to teach them about the good and the bad of the world. This lesson would be the perfect middle ground of morals and societal standards.  
Or maybe just his own opinions... Yeah, maybe rather that, considering he did not really give too many fucks about society as it was.

Remy pocketed the middle-sized item (it reminded him a large amount of a torch) and got his little kitty cat into his arms before getting up. Together, they returned to the cozy living-room. They cozied up together and the owner got his phone out and ready.

“Virgil, be a dear, entertain me”, he softly requested before making a little “click” sound with one of his hands.  
The kitten whipped their head around, staring into the source of sound that happened to be their miserable excuse of a human servant. With a cautious “meow” coming from them, they leaned in, tail standing still and body tense. Even their ears stood very firm.

Remy barely breathed when he clicked his tongue in thought.

“Yo, Queen, calm ya kitty senses. It is a fun surprise. Promise, honey.”

They eased a bit, sitting down onto their little void butt with their eyes intensely looking at the source of sound, despite it being gone for so long. Reassurance did not reach through their raven fur.

“Be a good kitty, come on”, he suggested as he brushed a hand through their endlessly dark fur. The sassy child complied, carefully purring into his palm. As usual, they pushed their head closer. The trust was big between them. Virgil shut their eyes effectively and purred on, for longer, for louder.

It was the time, it really was.

Remy pulled his own arm closer to his chest, the microphone in his hand. It was active, activated and more than ready for this - just as he was.  
If there was any pain or discomfort left within him, he was invincible and ignorant to it since the mere idea of his little plan becoming reality has him in the sweet ecstasy of hyperfocusing.

Everything but his objective and the required tools became invisible to him.

Virgil purred and suddenly, without warning for the little salty royal, the sound of their own purr echoed back to them in an odd, distorted manner. The object threw sound back at them because it was a microphone. Said microphone gave a high-pitched feedback in return, leaving the cat awestruck. 

Despite the soft cuddles and little encouraging nudges, they remained silent. Their doll-like, spheric orbs widened and their jaw locked at the weird noises. The cat’s whole posture was simply the shadow of a scare and the embodiment of confusion. If Remy did not know better, he would call them a boomer for the look on their face that could best be described as disgust.

“You okay there, kitty? Do you hate me and life now? Do you hate your wife- ”

They eyed the man for a moment, a hint of bewilderment in their intense eyes. Virgil seemed to smell the bullshit that was Remy calling them a boomer, maybe even a Karen. In reality, the cat was more than right! Someone get the manager of dummy thicc kitty-slaves!

This was heresy! No, it was CARESY! How dare this poorly-made, human-encouraged machine of deafening sounds be alive and working around this cat and even throw back their royal noise with cheap, messed-up pitches? This was a crime!  
The perfect balance of demanding and adorable was lost to the heartless machine.

“Mrrrrrr”

Virgil started vrooming in spite.

They frankly produced a sound between a growl and a purr. Remy did not know what it was. He was sure not even Virgil knew what kind of sound exactly they were making and had it not been for the microphone, he would not have even heard it. However, with the useful device, the sound was amplified and came back in an echoing mess of sounds that layered over one another, wavering and stumbling over each other in their heightened pitch as they fought to reach one’s eardrums before the others.

Distorted echoes and overlapping noises vibrated their way into his hazy mind. Virgil squinted at the atrocious object before the.  
He giggled.

“Virgil, listen to yourself, you silly void!”

His suggestion fell to deaf ears. Virgil’s ears were, in fact, moving and in place to detect the danger of the intrusive sounds, the loud and sudden shit to bother them in their comfortable existence.  
They wrapped their paws around the microphone, both “arms” slinging around it and holding it in place. The microphone was just a finger away from the kitten’s wet nose. The patting sounds was amplified. Rustling occurred, scratching Remy’s and Virgil’s glorious hearing senses.

They stared again. Remy stared too, his eyes captivated by the sudden turn of events happening before him.

“Hey, little storm cloud, what are you doing?”

The cat continued, thrashing the microphone and letting out an actual growl at this point. Louder pats and could were vocalised by the poor, abused microphone.  
The dummy duo paid with their hearing abilities. Holy fuck.

“MeoooooooOOOW!”

The sound grew louder at the end, forcefully so. It was a powerful establishment of dominance on Virgil’s part. How would the microphone react? Stay tuned for the nex- OKAY The microphone obviously echoed the whole thing back right on impact, leaving Virgil to retreat their head yet not their stubborn paws.  
The cat had licked blood and it was not going to give up not. Not in front of their new enemy!

All the while, Remy decided to be wise enough and retreat his hand from the slightly feral-ing cat.  
It was a matter of time for Virgil to just ba-  
Iiiiit was already happening~

Virgil released one of their paws while keeping the other around to stabilise the foe. They committed themself to observing it and keeping it in place while their black hook got back at it, fully swinging against the cool microphone. Remy let go, merely catching up on the series of movement Virgil started carrying out after he had retreated his caressing hand. He had just stopped himself from giggling in amusement as the situation turned into a somewhat serious scene.

“BADANG!”

His grip on the microphone was no more - as much as the noisy foe Virgil had bashed the annoying bitch far, far away. The kitty paw had practically yeeted the whole apparatus away from them, the little microphone flying over the couch and landing on the other side of it while echoing the sounds of whooshing air breezing into its loudspeaking function. It crashed into the cushions and sound exploded on them, leaving Remy and Virgil in a groan of annoyance, maybe even a slight tone of pain.

Hah, tone.

The microphone’s last cries died down as s quickly as they had torn into the world. Virgil sagely blinked at the fallen enemy. In a great sense of victory, the cat hopped into his arms. They flung themself at his chest and bonked their heads together once more.

“Meow!”

They seemed to argue in their own benefit, demanding a reward for defeating the evil intruder and saving their dummy thicc idiot of an owner. Stupid human slaves. Foolish mortals. Bringing their own enemy into their home and even cuddling with it. Good thing the fierce kitten was around to knock out any meanie!

Very well, they thought, they deserved a treat and Remy would have to hand over one of the good things. Virgil desired it.

The kitten nudged their owner, settling down on them in satisfaction.

“You go, Queen”, Remy cheered softly as he gathered the bundle of utter darkness and destruction in his arms.  
Praise covered the kitten in warmth. They blinked slowly.  
“I got you, you little sassy bitch.”

Remy wobbled into the kitchen with his bitch buddy and got some treats for the kitten especially and also some for his own tired self. The whole endeavour had not been the most clever thing to do. His head was hurting from the scratchy noises. Still, it was worth the silly fun they had together. Do not judge the bitch flat, they were both hungry and tired! Also, Remy was dummy thicc on meds. Weekends were made to bitch slap fucking microphones and other noise-generating machines and beings across the room just to get a little crunchy CRONCH CRONCH treat in return.

This was the local apartment laws because Remy and Virgil said so.

The owner carefully got something from the kitty drawer he had put together by now. With a ceremonial movement, he flicked his wrist and presented his little chaos charcoal with the treat of catnip paradise.

Virgil jumped into the sack of nice smells and good treats.

“MRRW!”

Remy found himself succumbing to giggles once more.

“Yeah, meow to you, too, dark and stormy knight. You are just the cutest little kitten, honey.”

He got himself a bit of cheese as he sat down to watch Virgil bite and rip into the bag of the good old cat nip.


	7. Spider Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remy is suddenly startled by a bigass spider but Virgil is ready to launch himself onto it and eat it within seconds. Remy snuggles his saviour, still petrified but oddly proud and somewhat impressed 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags: spider, eating (living spiders), cat Virgil being a predator, Virgil being a protector, Remy screeching like a scared bapey, fluff, snuggles, cuddles, soft, mentions of previous intoxication, lapses in memory, hangover, twist, Emile, oopsie daisy~, also weird descriptions of violence, but it is all fluffy, dramatic eating of a living spider, uhh being mean to spiders, food, eating, headaches, Remy does not get painless rights istg  
> (Migraine rights only)

It was the usual weekend, just an average morning. Remy cuddled up on the couch and got ready to enjoy his hangover in front of the TV. Yes, it was the perfect day to stay inside and never go out again.  
His limbs were hurting, the sun was shining and warming up the air enough for him to despise the outside even more than he usually would. It was unclear to him as to why he was on the couch instead of his bed but like many other instances about last night, his memory remained unhelpful. He might not remember but he probably stumbled over the couch and passed out because he missed Virgil or was worried about locking them out of his bedroom.

Knowing his drunk self, it was probably one of those things. He was pretty silly, especially when drunk. 

Remy gently hugged a nearby pillow and put on his favourite comfort show. Last night had been good and bad in the weirdest ways. His memory was hazy, blurry at best. He did not dare touch his phone. No, it was time to bury himself under his fluffy blanket and eat chocolate until his headache was drown out by the pure power that was a fucking sugar shock. Some part of him hoped to push away the reality if he just failed to acknowledge it for a little while longer.

On the other hand, he was motivated by a weird desire to consume sugar. He longed for the sugar high that came with ignoring his body’s limits ever so idiotically. His body was loosely covered in a wide, white shirt with black letters spelling out “Sleep”. Pants? Yeah, he kinda wore boxers with lemons on it because they were sour like him. His sunglasses were perched up on his ruffled bed hair instead of his sassy nose.  
His trademark leather jacket was missing, in its pace was the the purple and blue blanket he had made himself. The product of hours of crocheting was curled around his shoulders. He pulled an additional store-bought blanket over his legs (the universe, dark blue cave blanket!) and bundled himself up like a little burrito. Hey, he was tasty and deserved to give himself a treat and look like one.  
If he had the sense to order food, he would order the greasiest shit ever but he did not want any kind of social interactions when he felt and looked like absolutely pale and tired trash.

“Time to be a fucking bitch~”, he hummed to himself, a slight sing-song rhythm to his pronunciation of the words. 

He switched to the episode of his choice per remote and wiggled his eyebrows at the great drama show he had selected. Drama was perfect for comfort. Feeling less shitty about himself by looking at more miserable people was his primary coping mechanism. Still sleepy, he leaned over to the table where he had put a few snacks on, knowing his kitty wouldn’t stoop so low and interfere with his mortal food. The Queen was too extra for this. Also, he had little drawers in the table that stored his secret stash of snacks. He knew his migraine attacks and lock of motivation to get food. He was prepared.

The TV started blaring and he flinched at the painfully loud sensation while he put his hands around a bowl as if to scoop it up like the fragile piece of porcelain it was. He was about to pick it up and let it rest in his lap when a big fat blackness appeared in his peripheral vision, distracting him from his deed. His fingers were on the remote, muting the show but he dropped it when the colour surprised him.

A lightning-fast crawly crawl surfaced from under his couch and ran below his table.

“WAHHHHH!!!!”

The naked spider elicited a loud scream from his throat, making his booming head groan and press even harder down on his brain. It felt as if he was about to explode and it did not feel comfortable. Although the pain was tiring, he was screeching and jumping away - as far away from the spider as possible. His best friend, fear, was freezing his pain response just for long enough for him to move to another place without passing out from dizzy spells. Adrenaline washed his pain sensitivity away while the sudden shock just overrode it. 

In some kind of gross fascination, he watched the spider approach a table leg with rapid speed. Absolute disgust shook him as the creature got closer and closer to his table. There was his food!

“No, don’t touch my food, I’m too sick for this shit, I swear to fucking god. I will burn you down to death, you dummy. My fooooood-”

He moved to get up, held back by his blanket burrito-ing him! Unexpectedly, another blurry blob of charcoal burst into his vision and threw itself onto the intruder. 

Virgil!

They jumped onto the spider, gargantuan paws falling onto the little crawler like a guillotine’s heavy blade. These warm, loving, furry and fluffy cuddle hands were suddenly tainted with the death shrieks of a spider that nobody could hear. It moved, struggled and trembled as Virgil leaped their tongue over the creature and bit into the spot.   
The paws Remy knew to be promising and friendly were nothing like their usual nature anymore. 

They were claws of vengeance.

“Wh- what the fuck-”

The endless black hole that was the void was too big for Remy to see any more than this. Virgil was blocking his view on the little victim while they seemed to soundlessly cough out the little spider legs. Remy knew the cat was eating but the sudden, rigid movements reminded him of a slow and heavy slaughter.

“Virgil..-”

Amidst the brutality, Virgil finished up and purred. The cat looked at him, licking their muzzle and opening their mouth as if to yawn.  
The owner blinked. Virgil blinked.

The Killer Queen jumped onto the couch, just by his feet and slowly started liking their paws.

“Aw, little riot.. did you protect me? You are some fucking savage of a dark and stormy knight, are you not?”

The cat looked at him, blinking before resuming to lick their paws clean. They barely acknowledged the touched bitch on the side of the couch. No, they were busy. This was a serious Queen.   
They sat up comfortably, their tail wrapped around their paws which dug into the couch’s softness. It looked like a black whip, ready to strike rather than the furry extension of a kitty it used to be to Remy before this incident.

A weird feeling rumbled in his chest and he forgot the sickness and ache torturing him as he gently reached out for the little beast.

“Hey, hey. Cuddle with me, little monster.”

He giggled.

Something within him could not unsee Virgil ripping apart a little, struggling spider while genuinely enjoying the taste of dying prey on their tongue. Another part of him felt warm and safe with that ferocious little void on his lap. They licked over Remy’s finger before curling up and further licking their paws clean.

His show was running in the background, still muted. However, he barely heard footsteps approach his living-room.  
If only he had been prepared for what was to come next. No drama show was capable of balancing out the blow that was coming for him, personally.

“Good morning - Hey, Remy, can I take a shower?”

Before him, a half-naked Emile was smiling tiredly at him. Face slightly pale, drained of blood and energy, Remy could smell their hangover with accurate horror.

Why was his boss in his living-room?

Oh, fuck-

“Meow!”


	8. Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remy discovered his boss stayed the night at his apartment. He has barely any memory of the previous night and Virgil is trying to play matchmaker. Remy just wants peace and quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags: hangover, care, sick fic, matchmaking Virgil, Remile, pride, spite, vomit, cuddles, snuggles, all the fluff, small drama, salt remy, being a BITCH, Queen Virgil being a bitch back @ him, they just want them to date lol, reconciliation, boss/employee relationship

Virgil hopped onto his lap, blocking his movements successfully. Their owner was staring up at Emile, face similarly pale and just as sleepless.

“Call yourself a ride home and if you got enough time, that is the time you got to take a shower. Have you never heard of manners?”

He hissed at Emile who looked at him, eyes darkening and face falling ever so slightly. The little smile on their face was gone at once. They cleared their throat.

This did.. not go as expected.

“Is this how you do things... usually?”

Emile’s voice was a bit louder than usual and Remy groaned. His fingers moved to shut the TV. Then, he took the time to glare at Emile with his tired eyes.

“Do I look like a hotel? I want to sleep, not be social. See you at work or whatever”, he hissed back and gently hushed the cat away. Virgil jumped away for long enough that Remy could sit up properly but instead of getting up, he sunk into the couch when they hopped back into his lap.

Fucking great.

“Virgil-”

Emile shifted on their feet.  
Remy did not want to think about getting a new job now. Fuck, why why why-

“Remy, I would like to -”

The owner sighed in exasperation. Dramatically, he rolled his eyes so hard, Emile thought these eyes would fall out. Despite the missing clothing to complete the look of a mean bitch, Remy looked so innocent and soft. Yet, he made up for it with his intense attitude.

Emile did not feel as if they had missed this attitude too much. They had just somewhat thought they were past this by now. Especially after last night.

“Just shut the fucking blinds, will you. Holy fuck, why are they even open? Did you do that?”

Remy covered his face and Emile slowly moved to close the blinds. They kept an eye on Remy.

“Do you want me to stay? I can take care of you, you look sick.”

Hissing.  
Of course.  
The vain bitch grabbed the couch where he could reach it and pulled himself further up. On his lap, Virgil was revolting and meowing at him. They refused to leave his lap and instead laid down as if to protest against his movements.

“G-get out or I will make you, Emile, I fucking s-swea..r..”

He was sitting on the edge of the furniture, pushing the cat away who still refused to go.

“Meow!”, they protested.

Meanwhile, Emile quickly rushed over. Worry wrinkled their face.

“Lay down, please.”

Remy shook his head but stopped as soon as his head seemed to hurt even more. It was pure anguish. If someone had split his skull, it would not have hurt as bad as it did at the moment. On top of that, everything seemed to turn and spin and his stomach was churning. He was so hot and sweaty and felt so absolutely horrible. Emile gently pushed him back onto the couch despite Remy’s groans and weak attempts at stopping him.

Within seconds, the boss rushed to find a trash can, a bucket or something similar and quickly settled on a nearby bin. They returned just in time, handing the cylinder shaped object to Remy who promptly released his yesterday snacks into the depths of his bin.  
Stress was not good for migraines, apparently.

Remy hugged the bin and the cat immediately moved off his lap. Instead, they cuddled up against Emile’s knee who nudged the kitten before carefully settling down next to Remy who tried his best to growl in response. The cat owner spat out and moved away from Emile’s soft back rubs.

“What do you want!?”

Emile reached for a tissue from the table and gingerly held it out for Remy who promptly ripped it out of their hands and cleaned his mouth and lips with it. The tissue disappeared into the small trash container. Remy put it on the floor with shaky, sweaty hands.

“I think I will stay to make sure you are okay. How about some tea?”

The boss got up and Remy whined, trying to get up again but Virgil hopped onto his lap once more, blocking his movements with extra weight plus fluffiness!  
Dejected, he let himself fall into his fluffy cushions. He tasted and felt like absolute shit.

“I will make you tea.”

The couch shifted a bit when Emile rose from it to go and make some tea. Luckily, they had found some lavender tea for the other. They took the freedom made himself some green tea with lemon and returned with a tray of teas and salt crackers. The pal was back in record time, Remy angrily noted. Probably he could be that fast himself if his crippling shit condition dragged him down all the time.

“Is it the hangover or your migraines, love? Do you need me to go get you some medication or a doctor?”

Remy made a negating sound and tried to nudge Emile away. The boss persistently took his pushing hand and squeezed it.

“Remy. Please. I don’t want anything from you. I just want to help.”

The owner shrunk away, still gazing at his vomit-filled bin. He glared over at Emile and shook his head ever so slightly. Again, he had to regret this move and slowly sunk back into his couch. Virgil gently cuddled their head against Remy’s ribs and purred when Remy softly started stroking the little kitten.

“Give them food. It’s in the cupboard above the sink.”

Remy cuddled into the couch and forced his eyes shut. His forehead was sweaty and felt hot but it was cool and bursting. He sighed for a moment.

“Please..”

Emile nodded and whispered back.

“Sure thing.”

They moved away and Remy gently nudged Virgil into Emile’s direction.

“Go, get yourself food, you spider killer.”

The kitten stared at him, some sort of unknown feeling in these wide orbs. They looked like marbles, looked like little universes when these feelings started at him. A Queen’s world peeked into his pale, dull eyes.

“Come on, little void, go get fed, honey.”

The cat rose a paw, flinching a bit away from the couch as if they wanted to go away yet still decided to stay last minute. Eventually, they skipped off the couch and froze in their stance, looking back at Remy weakly smiling at them. They took the encouragement. Virgil continued, turning back. Paws moved as they continued over to their food place where Emile carefully filled up their bowl.

Remy groaned and reached for his phon-... damn, he did not have his phone. He moved to get up, but Emile was back and rushed over. Not to speak of his body keeping him in place.

“Don’t move. I will get this for you - What do you need?”

They gently tugged Remy back into space.

“Phone”, Remy croaked out curtly. He had not noticed just how shitty he sounded as well. Throwing up was a whole treat to his voice, was it not?

His boss nodded and disappeared within a moment to bring Remy his phone. How they knew where it was? They remembered where he had put it the night before. 

“Sure. Here.”

Emile settled by Remy’s side and handed him his phone. Virgil was being a good kitty cat and helped him out. The little void was back from eating and ready to assist the others.

“Finally.”

Emile shifted.

“Would you like some tea?”

Remy sighed. He honestly sounded as if Emile was the worst person to be around. Was the way he behaved at work just some sort of politeness? They swallowed at the thought. It dispersed a bit when the other nodded despite of it.

“Would..uh- can.. can you “, he started, his voice turning supple at once. One of his fingers rose to point at the bin. His boss nodded and moved to grab the bin and removed it.

“...thanks”, he mumbled and curled up on himself.

Virgil patiently waited before cuddling back up to Remy as soon as the other stopped staring after Emile with conflict in his eyes. The salty little beast snuggled him. They had wandered over and settled in Remy’s arm as if to replace the bin that used to be there. The acidic mess was replaced by a comforting warmth.  
Emile returned and handed Remy his tea. The sick one welcomed the warm mug with shaky hands. There was a blush on his pale face.

“Can I do anything else for you?”

Remy took a sip, made sure to cover his mouth instead of speaking aloud. His thoughts assembled to tell Emile off in any and all ways he could muster up. There were colourful ways, diverse approaches and crude comments he could pronounce but none of them wanted to quite leave his mouth when he swallowed the warm tea.

Lavender..?

Why the fuck did he have lavender? That shit must have been months old from when he still tried to deal with his insomnia visiting him more often than not.

... it was .. calming. It was so nice, he could not help but smile. The wrathful wrinkles eased up on his face and the softness returned.   
Emile slowly settled on the other side of the couch. Their warm orbs took in Remy with a subtle hope in them.

“Are you trying to knock me out?”, he shot back instead. This was his sleepy time tea.. he often drank it when he felt sick or lonely. It helped him sleep it off and move on when life was shit. It tasted of comfort and hope.  
But his inner bitch was strong and pushed against the kind gestures.

Emile beamed up at him and shook their head softly. Everything about this pal was just soft, softer and the softest. The cat owner found himself surprised by it with every time they interacted, no matter what happened. Even when he was nothing but a huge piece of trash to him. He slowly stroked the little kitty and snuggled them, one hand on the tea and another in the little void’s fur. 

The boss noted the exchange with the usual gentle expression on their face. Their facial features seemed at ease, seemed relaxed. Much like Remy’s face had softened with the taste of lavender gracing his tongue.

“I am just trying to make sure you can sleep and rest a bit. You did not sleep a lot - none of us really did.”

Remy raised an eyebrow at him and rolled his eyes.

“I am an insomniac. What keeps you up at night - in my home, that is..”

He gently tugged Virgil closer. They meowed and purred at him and snuggled up to their owner. The little Queen relished in the gentle chin scritches.

“Do you not remember yesterday?”, they hummed softly, “You brought me here. When you were drunk, yesterday. I did not want you to go home alone.”

Remy rolled his eyes once more.  
Maybe his migraines came from this, Emile wondered, being a sassy saltbag.

“So, you were just a proper person with great manners, huh?”

Emile shrugged.

“If you wonder whether something happened between us -”

Remy scoffed.

“I know it did. It is okay, it is whatever.”

The boss frowned at him.

“This does not have to stand between us or interfere with our work, Remy. It is okay, I get it. Things happen.”

Yeah, whatever.  
Remy felt bile scratch the inside of his throat once more and he cleared his throat, hastily drinking more and more tea in order to make sure he would not vomit again.

“Shut up, you are saying that for formality. Dish out what you want and we can get over with it. A boss who fucks me and wants to “take care of me” during vomit-y migraine flaire-ups is not the kinda boss who moves on from this. You can be as nice as you want but you gotta fucking say what you want, honey.”

A small nod came from the little kitten as if to agree and Remy gently picked up the little Queen with one hand, holding them close. Emile looked at them, face edging on a deep emotion that was anything but gentle. They looked as if they had just suffered from a major loss. Remy noticed the terror within his boss with a small amount of his distress of his own. 

“I... I would like this night to not be a mistake.”

Their voice was upright. Emile’s position changed accordingly Remy nodded, a small smile appearing in the corner of his mouth. His boss slowly acknowledged it, at last. The bitch arched an eyebrow and patted the space between him. He slightly shifted to make space for someone else before looking back and forth, from the space to Emile and back again.

“I would like you to get me my nausea meds and cuddle me, darling.”

The guest stared at him, suddenly bewildered like a deer in the headlights. Remy’s words were like belly dancers, surrounding Emile and slowly dancing their ways into their tired, hungover mind. The surprisingly soft tone surrounded them and stole their last braincells. At some point, their small brain syndrome took effect and made them move. They walked, rushed, then dashed off, leaving the couch behind.   
The new objective was to find Remy’s special medication, he had described with a meaningful smile and a novel warmth in his voice. It was honey to their daring heart.

When he came back, the world was different. Everything was back again but also different and somewhat upside down in the most beautiful way imaginable. Remy peacefully took his pills and offered them some food - snacks from his secret stash. 

“I would love to, Remy..”

He wiggled further back to make space for Emile, Virgil allowing these two to change position, even though it lead to them having to shift in their royal spot that was Remy’s arms.  
Emile quickly filled the extra space Remy left and snuggled up.

“Yeah yeah, you loved me enough to make me hurt all day on this couch, you little dummy. Those cuddles are the least. You owe me, darling.”

His lover hummed.

“I gave your Queen food.”

Remy chuckled. His cat padded over him and settled on both Emile and Remy’s hips. Where their bodies met, the cat settled.

“Yeah, now you are stuck to the two of us. What a delight.”

Emile closed his eyes.

“It is a delight with you around. You two are lovely.”

The host scoffed.

“That’s fucking gay, darling.”

It was Emile’s turn to roll their eyes. They tugged him closer and hugged their love properly.

“I sure hope it is. Good night, love.”

Virgil purred at them, as if to say it back to the two cuddling beans.

“Good night, sap. You better prepare I will get a new job.”

Emile hummed.

“I will support you in any way.”

They held Remy closer. The salty ex-worker shrugged but leaned in.

“I got a degree on the side. I am an accountant and wanted to leave anyway. Finally, you made a move.”

He giggled while Emile gasped in playful indignation.

“You never fail to amaze me, love. I am proud of you. I can finally say you are fired - but lovingly!”

He rolled his eyes. Only Emile could say things like this.  
Meanwhile, Virgil sniffed the air and curled up like a little bundle of softness. They were only concerned with sleeping and eating.

Emile was now here to add love. The ex-boss cradled the two ever so gently and closed their eyes. Remy did the same. It was in the middle of the day, yet they all decided to take a spontaneous nap and enjoy the feeling of neither being lonely nor alone anymore.

The sun was up, looking at the begin of something beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I finished all of this. It feels so surreal to update this last chapter. I loved and adored wirting and posting and editing this work. I hope you enjoyed it just a bit, even. It was a pleasure to provide it for anyone who will take it ♥


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